Construction works have already sparked development with fuel stations and eateries being established along the road
The 84km Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual carriageway will be ready for use by December next year, the Kenya National Highways Authority has said.
Construction works started in July and is two per cent complete, Kenha chairman Wangai Ndirangu said. It is being done in two phases.
The first phase involves the construction of the 36km stretch from Sagana to Marua at a cost of Sh6 billion while the second phase involves the construction of the 48km Kenol to Sagana stretch at a cost of Sh8 billion.
Wangai said the project is expected to be 80 per cent complete in December when it will be commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The project has provided exposure to some 400 post-graduate students from Murang'a, Kirinyaga and Nyeri counties to expose them to practical experience and enhance their chances of employment.
Kenha is also partnering with the Kirinyaga county government to establish a Sh300 million post-trauma hospital at Sagana town to attend to road accident victims.
“We are also upgrading an extra 40km of roads in towns along the highway and establishing fruits sheds for vendors with a safe access from the highway because it is dangerous when motorists park on the shoulders of the road to buy fruits,” he said.
The dual carriage will shorten by half the journey from Nairobi to Nyeri that currently takes four hours due to traffic.
This will in turn reduce the cost of transporting agricultural produce from the Mt. Kenya region.
“The highway will connect areas of production to areas of consumption and connect the Northern Corridor to the Lapsset corridor, boosting the economy of the country as a whole,” Ndirangu said.
He said Kenha was consulting with the county governments to ensure the project is done in a safe and sustainable manner.
Numerous investors have pitched camp along the highway to take advantage of the increased traffic that will be occasioned by the dualling of the road.
Hotels and businesses are sporadically emerging from Kenol town that is seen as the gateway to the Mt. Kenya region from the capital Nairobi.
The number of vendors lining up on the highway to sell commodities to both motorists and passengers has also surged.
At Kambiti ward, an investor has established a hotel and a petrol station along the highway, the only one in the area.
Peter Sila, the supervisor at Wandi restaurant said they opened the eatery in December last year. They had anticipated an increase in human traffic in the area.
“We realised that this entire area had nowhere that people could fuel their cars and take a bite, and had to drive all the way to Makuyu,” he said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted plans but business is expected to pick up soon.
“The highway will increase the number of people passing by once the dual carriageway is done, giving us more business,” Sila said.
Vendors have positioned themselves opposite the hotel to sell fruits to both passers-by and those patronising the eatery.
Hawker Florence Kabura said she has been selling fruits along the highway for more than 10 years. She expects business to improve.
She lauded the government for upgrading the road saying she will earn more income without endangering her life by sitting by the roadside.
“The fruit sheds will turn our designated selling areas into small markets where more motorists will be able to safely access and increase our returns,” she said.
The highway is prone to accidents and many hawkers have lost their lives.
Faith Wangui said Kambiti, unlike other parts of Murang’a county, is agriculturally unproductive due to its unfavourable weather.
MCA David Irungu said the road will transform the area economically and provide employment opportunities to thousands of youths.
He urged more investors to come on board.
“Kambiti has vast land that can be used to establish industries and hotels along the highway,” Irungu said.