The flooded
Quickmart section of Links Road / BRIAN OTIENOThe Architectural Association of Kenya has welcomed the imminent Sh64 million repair works at a section of Links Road in Nyali subcounty, Mombasa.
However, AAK Mombasa branch chairman Dancan Odhiambo said the repair works, by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority, are long overdue and have caused damage to vehicles and left people injured.
“First, Kura must look for Fatma Osman and compensate her. She is a Kenyan who pays taxes and should never have lost an eye due to poor roads,” Odhiambo said in his office on Thursday.
In developed countries, the responsible individuals step aside over such cases, he added.
“The least Kura can do is seek her and compensate her for their own negligence because this road has been damaged for a very long time,” the architect said.
In May, during a public participation on the damaged road, Osman, a Nyali resident, claimed she lost one of her eyes as she rode a tuk-tuk on the Quickmart section of Links Road.
The tuk-tuk hit an unseen pothole on the flooded road and an object flew into her eye, which caused damage.
AAK Mombasa branch chair
Dancan Odhiambo at his office / BRIAN OTIENO
“I lost an eye because of a pothole. I want to know, who is responsible? Is it Kura, the county government or is it myself?” she said.
“We pay taxes, we want services. We are tired of this. I have lost an eye. It will never see again and I’m the only person working in my family,” Osman said.
Kadzandani MCA Fatma Kushe had earlier made the same call as Odhiambo, saying government should be held responsible for the suffering of Kenyans.
“We will not relent until Osman is compensated. She deserves more than she gets from the government,” Kushe said on Wednesday.
Whenever it rains, the Quickmart section of Links Road floods and becomes impassable. This has seen Kura and the Mombasa County Government trade blame before.
However, on Monday, the roads agency announced that the section, less than 300m long, will be closed from August 1 to January 30, 2026, for repair works.
But Odhiambo said six months is too long for such a short stretch.
“That stretch is less than 300m. It should not take more than a month,” he said.
The lengthy closure will affect the economy of the county and inconvenience businesses near that stretch.
He also called for collaboration between Kura, the county government and AAK, while urging the roads agency to use interns to repair the section so that they gain valuable experience, skills and technology transfer.
Part of the problem is the haphazard constructions that have been put up along the road blocking drainage, saying had the county followed its development plans, the issue would not have existed.
“I heard people say a nearby hospital being constructed has blocked the drainage system. I don’t know if that is true because the hospital only started being constructed the other day while this problem has been there for years,” Odhiambo said.
“There are many roads that are in bad shape, not only Links Road. Links Road is just one but there are even worse roads across the county that need repair.”
Concerning the allocated timelines for the road works, Kura defended its decision, saying the six-month period would provide a lasting solution.
“The road closure is necessary to facilitate construction works with the aim of providing a lasting solution to the regular flooding and drainage challenges that usually affect this section of the road,” the authority said.
