- The project has been undertaken by Murang'a Municipality board and funded by the world Bank
- It has has covered about 1.4km of streets that were previously dusty and in poor state
Image: Alice Waithera
Murang’a town residents have benefited from a Sh35 million project that will see three streets upgraded to bitumen standards.
The World Bank-funded project through the Kenya Urban Support Programme has seen three dusty streets constructed to completion by the Murang’a Municipality Board.
The roads include Amica Sacco to Public Works street, Mukuyu ECDE to Maguna Supermarket and Hosanna to Murang’a High School, which is halfway done.
Board vice chairperson Judith Maina, who led members in inspecting the three projects on Tuesday, said the remaining half of the street to Murang’a High School will be completed in another phase of the project.
The construction of the three streets will be a reprieve for residents as they will no longer have to contend with the dust that is said to cause sicknesses as it gets into their homes and workplaces.
Image: Alice Waithera
Under the project, footpaths, streetlights and drainageways have been constructed along the three streets.
“We conducted public participation and residents agreed the three streets were in dire need of upgrading. They are estimated to be about 1.4km long,” Maina said.
The roads, she said, will be completed on Tuesday and be opened to the public.
The board has also constructed car parks around Murang’a town to increase revenue for the county.
Motorists fork Sh70 for parking spaces in the town that has its parking areas fitted with cabros.
Board member James Waweru said the board has plans to increase its area of coverage to ensure more residents benefit from its programmes.
“Right now, we cover a population of 35,000 people but we want to increase it to 110,000. We want our area of jurisdiction to increase from 1.5 square kilometres to about seven square kilometres,” he said.
“We have done our bit as a board together with the county assembly and we are now waiting for Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia to gazette the new boundaries.”
The new boundaries will extend to Kaharati in Maragua, Kaweru along Murang’a-Kiria-ini Road, Embassy along Murang’a Kangema Road and Muchungucha in Kahuro.
Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga shrine, which is said to be the origin of the Agikuyu community and has a flurry of activities, especially from elders, will also be under the expanded municipality.
Image: Alice Waithera
This will make it possible for the board to implement the project that will help to improve the shrine.
Kenol and Kangari towns, each with an estimated population of 110,000 people, are also expected to be gazetted as new municipalities.
Kenol town has been growing rapidly due to its location along the Nairobi-Meru highway, with the ongoing Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual carriageway expected to fuel the growth even further.
The town has seen facilities such as malls and pizza shops set up and is said to have a far bigger economy than Murang’a town, which is the county’s headquarters.
Bernard Muia, the chairperson of Health, Water and Sanitation committee in the board, said the projects will boost the quality of life for Murang’a town residents.
“The socioeconomic impact of the projects will be major and I am sure people will be very happy that they have been done,” he said.
Muia said the board has a strategic plan that will see the town transformed in the next decade.
“We want our town to be in the same league with other major towns in the next few years. We envisage a situation where the low lying and old buildings pave way for modern buildings and elevate the town to the stature of a city,” he said.
The board has also upgraded the road from Murang’a town to the county government’s mortuary, another one from St James Cathedral to Electricity House to the main stage and all alleys in the town.
Board manager Sammy Njogu said they will continue conducting public participation forums to gauge the needs of the residents before implementing projects.
He, however, appealed to the residents to selfishly guard public projects from vandalism.
“Streetlights vandalism is a major challenge in town and we are asking people to help us guard them to better their lives.”
(edited by Amol Awuor)