A joint inspection by engineers from the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) and Eastlands residents on Tuesday highlighted safety concerns along the 13-kilometre Outering Road, where non-functional streetlights and damaged guardrails were cited as risks for commuters.
The tour followed a petition by a group of residents who raised concerns about the state of the road, alleging that inadequate maintenance had contributed to accidents, insecurity and deteriorating infrastructure.
The residents walked with engineers from Taj Mall to Donholm, pointing out parts of the corridor where they said safety features had been vandalised or fallen into disrepair.
Kura engineer Justus Onyinkwa, who led the inspection, acknowledged the challenges and attributed some of the safety gaps to recurring vandalism.
“Those are the realities; you can’t run away from them,” he said, adding that most incidents, including vandalism and some accidents, tend to occur at night.
Onyinkwa said the agency had repeatedly repaired the streetlights, but the underground power cables had often been removed, leaving long sections of the road in darkness.
He said this remained a concern raised by residents, who linked poor lighting to insecurity and pedestrian incidents.
He added that limited funding had slowed some of the interventions, noting that residents could lobby their elected leaders for increased allocations to the agency.
According to Onyinkwa, Kura receives a smaller share of the national roads budget compared to other agencies.
To address recurring vandalism, he said Kura plans to switch to solar-powered streetlights and increase patrols along the road.
“Solar lighting removes reliance on underground cabling, which has been the biggest target,” he said.
The inspection also highlighted damaged or missing guardrails. Representatives of City Capital, the contractor maintaining the road, said frequent accidents contributed to the problem.
The contractor has proposed replacing the guardrails with stronger crash barriers, a recommendation Onyinkwa said Kura is reviewing.
Another issue raised was the condition of pedestrian footbridges, some of which lack canopies.
Onyinkwa said the original designs did not include canopies on certain structures, but noted the agency would review this.
He also said some footbridges had been misused for informal trading, a challenge Kura is seeking ways to manage.
City Capital, which is responsible for routine maintenance under a performance-based contract, said most works—such as drainage cleaning, markings and general upkeep—were being carried out as required.
The company’s representative, Charles Maina, said lighting was not part of their scope, adding that poor visibility at night contributed to accidents on the road.
The site manager, Robert Ouko, said the contractor could only address works covered under the contractual budget and maintained that, apart from the frequently damaged guardrails, other maintenance components were in good condition.
The inspection was prompted by a letter from the Voices of Eastlands Community Network, which raised concerns about what it described as longstanding safety and management problems on the road. The group said the highway, built at a cost of about Sh11 billion and commissioned in 2015, had not fully delivered on its intended benefits.
The residents cited issues such as blocked drainage, non-functional streetlights, incomplete footbridges and incidents of crime and accidents reported at nearby police stations.
They had given Kura 21 days to respond and indicated they would escalate the matter to oversight bodies if dissatisfied.
In its written response, Kura said safety along Outering Road remained a national concern and outlined measures already taken.
The agency noted that 17 pedestrian interventions—footbridges, underpasses and walkways—had been installed at intervals of less than 500 metres, in line with international standards.
However, Kura also pointed to challenges such as non-compliance by some road users.
“We have stakeholders who have refused to use the provided facilities,” the agency said. It also cited matatus stopping in undesignated areas and encroachment by traders, which it said forced pedestrians onto the highway.
Kura added that vandalism of safety installations, including lighting components and footbridge structures, remained an ongoing setback.
The agency said it was working with NTSA, police, NAMATA and the Nairobi County Government in a multi-agency approach to improve safety.
The long-term plan, Kura said, includes implementing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system along the road’s median, which is expected to streamline traffic and improve pedestrian safety.
“Plans are at an advanced stage, and by 2026 you will see this programme commencing,” the agency said.
