The Kenya National Highway Authority has started repairing the section of the Garissa-Madogo road that was washed away by floods.
At Kona Punda excavators are levelling the ground, while lorries are unloading murram.
Garissa county commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo said officials from Kenha are on site and have started repairing the road.
He urged motorists and pedestrians to exercise patience and give the engineers working on the road time to work.
Mwabudzo spoke to the press at Kona Punda, minutes after alighting from the boat.
“As you can see, repair work has started in earnest. In three or four days, we should be able to see great progress,” he said.
The administrator commended the security personnel and members of the public for their conduct while crossing the flooded section on boats.
Boats have been ferrying passengers to and from Garissa, charging each person Sh200.
On Thursday afternoon, some residents could be seen wading through the floodwaters that reached their shoulders.
“I want to commend the security officers who worked closely with the members of the public during the difficult time and ensured such a tragedy like the one that occurred does not happen again,” Mwabudzo said.
He said the same spirit should continue to be applied until the exercise is over.
On education, Mwabudzo said all IDPs, who were being hosted at schools have been moved to other places. He said the government with the help of NGOs continue to offer relief assistance to flood victims.
He said some started going back to their homes after the floodwaters subsided.
Patracia Ithanzu, a trader a Garissa market, urged the government to fast-track the construction of the road, noting it had led to a lot of pain and suffering to residents.
She urged Kenha and the contractors doing the roadworks to ensure quality is not compromised reiterating the importance of the road, which acts as the gateway to the Northeastern region.
“Speaking as a trader, I can tell you that the last three weeks have been hell on earth for us. We have been spending a lot of money to have our goods delivered to the market. Unfortunately, we also had to hike the prices to ensure we don’t make losses,” Ithanzu said.
Ken Waweru, a boat rider, said he has made good money from ferrying people and goods in the two weeks.
He, however, urged the government to find a permanent solution to the perennial floods.
During his Garissa visit, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the government is looking into long-term solutions to the flooding crisis affecting Garissa and Tana River counties.
The DP revealed plans to invest Sh1.2 billion to construct a new bridge along the Garissa-Nairobi highway.