The County Government of Kilifi has commenced the rehabilitation of key roads within Malindi town in preparation for the festive season, aiming to enhance the tourist resort town’s appeal.
On Monday, county officials handed over the sites for the rehabilitation of the BP-Alaskan and BP-Malindi Sub County Hospital roads to the contractor, who is tasked with repairing damaged sections and improving the drainage system.
This initiative follows numerous complaints from motorists, particularly lorry drivers, who reported vehicle damage at the intersection of the two roads with the Malindi-Mombasa Highway due to the roads’ poor condition.
The original construction of the BP-Alaskan road involved creating steep depressions at both intersections with the Malindi-Mombasa Road and the Malindi-Salagate Road to facilitate water drainage.
However, inadequate drainage led to significant damage at both ends, making navigation difficult for motorists, especially truck drivers, and often resulting in traffic jams.
The contractor is also set to repair a section of the BP-Malindi Sub County Hospital Road near the Malindi Modern Bus Park, which has been damaged by stagnant water.
Mr. Dadu Chome, the Acting Malindi Sub County Administrator, while handing over the sites to the contractor, acknowledged that the problem had persisted for a long time due to a lack of financial resources.
“This challenge has taken a long time, but as the government, we have been looking for resources, and now we have secured funds in our budget, and that is why we have come to ensure that these roads are rehabilitated,” he said.
Malindi Town Ward Member of County Assembly Rashid Odhiambo welcomed the initiative to repair the roads, noting that they had been a nightmare for motorists and passengers. His sentiments were echoed by a representative of truck drivers, Mr. Elijah Momanyi.
Momanyi highlighted that many trucks and lorries had been damaged at the three problematic sections of the two roads, adding that their rehabilitation would bring significant relief to all road users.
The road rehabilitation works follow the recent unblocking of the town’s storm drainage system, which caused flooding early last week when the town experienced unexpected heavy rains.
By Emmanuel Masha
