Highway Damage Keeps Motorists Trapped
Highway Damage Keeps Motorists Trapped
Highway Damage Keeps Motorists Trapped
A significant roadway that connects Garissa and Wajir has been closed by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) after floods washed away roughly 114 kilometers of the route. KeNHA said in an alert on Saturday morning that efforts were in progress to locate and reroute drivers who were stuck along the Modika – Nuno – Modogashe route.
In order to create detour roads and stop more damage on portions of the road that had sustained significant damage from continuous, intense rains, KeNHA also transported construction equipment to Maalmin.”The road has not been cleared for usage and motorists trapped between Maalmin Road and Jilango are encouraged to return back to Garissa while travellers between Ohio and Jilango are advised to go back to Modogashe,” said the government.
It also advised everyone using the roads to avoid entering the roadway until it is deemed safe to use.”This is because the area is still experiencing enhanced rainfall that might result in the recurrence of flood waters which will endanger travellers plying the Garissa – Modogashe – Wajir (A13) Road,” cautioned KeNHA.
A road in Ohio that washed away to make room for floodwaters covered four kilometers, one of the affected locations. 25 kilometers of damage were reported in Jilango, KeNHA. “80 meters of the road was swept away to create a river, and water overtopped a further 200 metres extensively damaging the pavement and a shoulder erosion of nearly 100 metres,” the government said.
Forty kilometers of the roadway were severely damaged in Tog Dub, with the road embankments and surfacing layer taking the brunt of the damage. At Maalmin, a 45-kilometer stretch was overtopped and washed out, according to KeNHA.
The damage was discovered a few hours after President William Ruto had earlier issued an order opposing Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s advice for Kenyans to prepare for El Nino rains. In order to assist Kenyans, Gachagua initiated rain mitigation initiatives. These included the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) aircraft to deliver KCSE exams in impassable areas and the launching of emergency reaction teams to free stranded motorists.
