The progress of the Western Bypass construction is estimated to be over 70 per cent. The road connects the Southern Bypass at Gitaru and the Northern Bypass at Ruaka, thereby completing the fourth and final ring road in the Nairobi Ring Road Network Masterplan, which also comprises the Eastern Bypass.
It is therefore such an important link and will play a key role in easing the traffic menace around Nairobi. However, as the implementation advances, residents along the route are feeling shortchanged, neglected and ignored and are not convinced that the project has their best interests at heart.
In our minds, the project was supposed to open the area economically. A wealth of research, including by the World Bank, points to the correlation between infrastructure and economic development. It is widely recognised that improved roads have a positive impact on rural inhabitants.
The project is being implemented by the China Roads and Bridges Corporation (CRBC) with Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) as the employing agency.
Such improvements are expected to enhance their ability to access social services, markets and jobs, and therefore contribute to improved lives. Good infrastructure also lowers the cost of doing business, thus raising total factor productivity. Other studies indicate that for every Sh1 billion spent on roads, GDP growth increases by 4.5 per cent holding other factors constant. This implies that public expenditure in road infrastructure impacts on the economic growth positively.
For the Western Bypass however, these attendant infrastructural gains seem too close, yet too far and our high hopes and dreams attached to the project are progressively being shattered as its implementation rolls out in cheetah’s speed.
Take the area around Kirangari/Gikuni/Kibiku/Gathiga, for example. In this area, basic provisions for exits and entry into the Western Bypass have completely been ignored requiring residents to drive an extra four kilometres up to Karura to turn to access their homes.
In addition, at the Gikuni junction, a bridge that is ostensibly supposed to link the agriculture-rich region with the bypass ends abruptly at a place called Kwa Michael with no clear connection to the bypass.
Combined, Kirangari and Gathiga have a population of about 65,000 people living on both sides of the road. The population is served by 17 public and private educational institutions as well as three children’s homes.
The area is further served by 21 churches, one police station and three AP posts. In addition, the area has five manufacturing concerns, all specialising in animal feeds. There are also several public health institutions, including the Nyathuna Level 4 Hospital.
In terms of economic activities, 60 per cent of the area residents are small-scale farmers plying their produce at Wangige and Kihara (Gachie) markets. There are also several investors in real estate, restaurants and entertainment businesses, car washes and other small businesses on either side of the road who depend on customers who can access and exit the bypass without inconveniences.
All these businesses now hang by a thread if the current design is maintained.
This confusion would have been avoided if the implementers had only taken community participation and engagement more seriously. However, from the look of things, this was not one of their priorities, and even if it were, all the concerns raised have been given a hefty shove out of the window.
Surprisingly, the original designs had all these issues addressed but subsequent plans have resulted in a strange turn of events with the general direction being to go, go, go without a pause for informed reflection.
The apparent lack of planning and consideration for the plight of locals is astounding and confusing. This is a project that was allocated Sh17 billion for a stretch that runs 15.3km, meaning each kilometre is gobbling up more than Sh1 billion.
The shortcuts and holdups at the implementation phase are therefore extremely difficult to comprehend. It is either the allocations were slashed along the way, or have we just switched to our default culture of lack of accountability with public resources?
The ministry and the implementers are cognisant of these grievances through several petitions, some as old as September last year, but the appeals have been ignored. Who will come to our rescue?
Strategic communications consultant
