There was a drama at Njira ya Gitithia village in Kiambu county when residents blocked a road alleging that the contractor working on the expansion of the Kamandura Mau Summit road was not controlling dust.
They claimed that, lories that were passing at their rural roads, were moving so fast that they were blowing dust that was entering in their houses.
The angry residents who demanded to speak to the contractor, block the road using stones, until they stopped movement along the Njira ya Gitithia road.
A resident John Kamori said the contractor has failed to sprinkle water along their rural road, leaving it dusty.
“Whenever a lorry passes, you are left with a layer of dust on your skin, clothes and anything else on your hands” he said.
“This dust has become troublesome since it was felt at our homes. People are left to wash their clothes at time and after hanging them during night, they collects them in the morning and keeps them inside the house during the day. Those which didn’t dry, are hangd again at night” he added.
Alice Ng’endo said their trouble started when one of their neighbours sold a morrum quarry to the contractor who was excavating tonnes and tonnes of the morrum.
Ng’endo said it was right to be protected by the government from the contractor, by ensuring enough water to control the dust has been sprinkled.
“Our efforts to get the Kenya National Highways Authority has not borne any fruit. They need to be visiting residents of where the road was passing through so that they can establish if there were challenges being faced by people” Ng’endo said.
The village is at the boundary of Limuru constituency and Lari constituency.
The Chinese contractors officials as well as those from Kenha had a hard time às they tried to control residents and ended up being heckled.
Lari Kirenga MCA Josphat Kinyanjui visited the area, and supported the locals grievances.
He said too much dust can cause respiratory complications, asking the Chinese contractors to be sprinkling enough water along the road in question.
“I will be following up whether the road has been sprinkled with enough water” he said.
However, he quelled locals who stopped the protest as they wait the contractors to keep his promise of not only sprinkling water but also repairing the roads where they may have destroyed.
