KeNHA: Prepare for 5 days of traffic disruption along Thika Superhighway

By Peter Ochieng

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) wants residents of Nairobi and its outskirts who frequently use the Thika Superhighway to prepare for a 5-day traffic disruption along the busy road.

According to a public notice signed by engineer Kungu Ndungu, KeNHA director General, the road will be closed at the Juja high point from Wednesday, July 10th to Monday, July 15th 2024, to allow for the construction of the mid-span footbridge foundation.

The temporary closure is expected to cause traffic snarl up and disruptions on Thika Superhighways’ inner lane.

"KeNHA advises motorists to follow the proposed traffic management plan and cooperate with the police and traffic marshals on site," reads the notice. Some Kenyans who responded to the notices, urged the authority to provide detours on the affected routes to avoid inconveniencing members of the public.

KeNHA’s notice comes after Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Mukomen said the government will explore other ways of raising the Road Levy, without raising the cost of living.

The former Elgeyo Marakwet Senator said his ministry would look into alternative ways to secure the resources needed for road maintenance without raising petrol prices, as suggested by citizens.

Kenya, he added, is currently facing a maintenance deficit of Sh78 billion for the fiscal year 2024, with the figure expected to rise to Sh315 billion by the fiscal year 2028/2029.

"Most of these abandoned roads are under the Low Volume Seal program which have never been maintained in the last 10 years and are on the verge of being wiped away altogether," stated the vocal CS.

He added that road maintenance is funded by the Sh18 per liter Road Maintenance Levy.