Residents of Rombo Ward, Kajiado County in agony as Heavy Rainfall Makes Roads Inaccessible

Illasit-Njukini-Taveta Road: Mailitatu-Olgira Section

By Nick Waigwa

Perishable farm produce famers and transporters in Rombo Ward, Loitokitok Sub County of Kajiado County are calculating losses after a heavy downpour in the area on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 rendered the Illasit-Njukini-Taveta road completely impassable.

The rainfall according to locals lasted for over seven hours causing flashfloods that cut off a section of the delapidated road between Mailitatu and Olgira Market Centers.

Although the road cutting through Kajiado & Taita Counties serves, neibouring Makueni & Kwale Counties in addition to linking locals to fresh farm produce markets in Machakos, Nairobi and Mombasa Counties, successive governments and local political leaders have continued to leave it unattended over the years.

Access roads to farms are also now obstructed forcing tomato famers to sell their produce at throwaway prices to opportunistic brokers, with transporters avoiding the risky road or taking advantage of the situation to increase transportation rates.

It's ironical that in some parts of Kenya food is still going to waste at a time when the country is appealing for relief food to feed an estimated 4.3 million Kenyans currently facing starvation due to an acute famine occasioned by failed rains.

“Tomato famers are crying. It’s so hard that after investing heavily, tomato is being given to cows, we cannot access the markets, main reason being - poor road infrastructure. They are being forced to accept KES 5000 ($50) for a small size vehicle such as Probox.” lamented Muya Ndun’gu, a Rombo resident.

A month ago, Monday, October 16, 2022 Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was in Rombo Ward to preside over the annual World Food Day celebrations whose theme was “Leave no one behind. Better production, Better nutrition, Better environment and a Better life.”

During the event the Deputy President is said to have promised locals that action was going to be taken against the deplorable condition of the Illasit-Taveta Road.

Mailitatu-Olgira:Truck swept off the road by raging waters.15/11/22.

In November, 2019 the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) produced a “Udated Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP)” for the Illasit-Njukini-Taveta Road project – lot 32 signaling the possibility of visible action on the ground under the Anuity Road Project Program.

According to KENHA, Illasit-Njukini-Taveta Road Project was among various lots identified for implementation under the “Finance, Design, Build, Maintain and Transfer” as a strategy for the Kenyan government to bridge road infrastructure financing gaps.

A construction camp site that is believed to be linked to this road project was done over a year ago in Rombo, but nothing much, according to locals, has been tangibly happening from the site located about 3 miles from the Rombo Market center.