NAIROBI, Kenya, April 29 – The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has commenced a comprehensive redesign and realignment of the notorious Nithi Bridge along the Makutano-Embu-Meru Road, marking a decisive step toward eliminating one of Kenya’s deadliest road blackspots.
The project, which has been allocated Sh7 billion by President William Ruto’s government, involves the construction of an 880-metre-long bridge, the highest point standing approximately 100 metres above the ground. The total scope, including bridge and approach roads, spans 2.7 kilometres.
KeNHA has conducted extensive public and stakeholder sensitisation meetings with local residents and National Government Administrative Officers to explain construction activities and planned road changes. The Authority has mapped out all land required for the project corridor to enable the National Land Commission to initiate compulsory acquisition and compensation processes.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki confirmed that the reconstitution of the National Land Commission has cleared a major bottleneck that had stalled the project, with the project set to progress.
“The factors that were hindering the construction are now in place. The money has been allocated, the lands commission is in place and surveying processes can now progress,” he said.
Site preparation is already underway with Geotechnical investigations are ongoing to enable detailed engineering designs for construction purposes, and the contractor’s camp has been established on site.
With Kenya experiencing structural failures in the recent past, geotechnical investigations to understand the soil compositions have been necessitated for structural engineers to delivery credible constructions.
Following the mobilization of construction materials and technical teams to the Nithi Bridge site, local residents have shared their optimism regarding the long-awaited safety intervention.
“I want to say we are very grateful to this government for this project because this Nithi Bridge has caused a lot of harm. And it hasn’t just killed people from Meru; the whole country has been affected by this Nithi Bridge.” Noted a resident in Mitheru, Tharaka Nithi County.
The resident’s sentiments echo a growing sense of relief among the Tharaka Nithi and Meru communities. The project, which involves a comprehensive redesign is viewed not just as a construction milestone, but as a life-saving necessity for the thousands who traverse the Embu-Meru-Nairobi highway daily.
