Until a week ago, residents of Kaganda village in Murang’a were being forced to walk for long distance to access their market place and school.
A shorter route that could have enabled them access social amenities at Kaganda market had been dilapidated and neglected for a long time, for lacking someone to rehabilitate it.
However, one week ago, a local resident, Nicholas Muchami took it upon himself to cut up more than one and half kilometre road across a hill, with a view to assisting villagers reach the shopping centre with ease and for children to also access their school within a shorter time.
Muchami aged 49, devoted his energies and time to dig and rehabilitate the road up a steep hill thus relieving villagers’ from the agony of walking long distance to the market.
The Good Samaritan said he was forced to take up the initiative after witnessing children walking for more than three kilometres to access their school.
Muchami told KNA on Tuesday that the new road had shortenened the route to the shopping centre by more than two kilometres.
“For about six days, I used to start working on this road at around 6 am up to around 5.30 pm. No one paid me or influenced me to do it, I just took a personal initiative to work on this road,” said Muchami who is also a guard in a local school.
The road is surveyed but people stopped using it after it was destroyed by rains leaving behind dangerous ditches and furrows.
Consequently, bushes grew around it, forcing residents to devise a route through a neighbouring shamba without the consent of its owner so as to easily access the local shopping centre.
But after the owner of the shamba planted trees, villagers were forced to walk for almost three kilometers to access market place.
Initially, residents thought Muchami was not serious in his quest to carve a new road across the steep hill but eventually they came to appreciate his efforts.
The now community hero noted that he had discussed about the road with local Nyumba Kumi officials but opted to embark on the enormous task after the local community policing officials failed to show any commitment.
Area resident, Philip Kinyungu Kamau acknowledged Muchami’s work, by posting it in social media where it received a lot of compliments.
Kinyungu said he could not fathom a middle aged man who mostly relies on casual jobs, making such a bold move all for the benefit of fellow villagers.
“His efforts touched me and opted to share it in social media platforms where citizens across the country hailed Muchami for his good work,” he added.
The villagers are now demanding that the county government takes up the remaining task and complete construction work on the road.
“The devolved unit should go ahead and murram this road so as to help us use it even during rain seasons,” said another villager, Joyce Wamuyu.
By Bernard Munyao
