Thika MP Aide's Prompt Response Averts A Bloody Clash Over Road.
Engineer Stanley Kang’ethe’s swift reaction on Saturday morning
thwarted what could have been a bloody clash between Thika Jua kali Artisans
and the residents of Bulleys Estate near over the decision by the landlords and
tenants to block makeshift road linking Thika-Garissa Road and Kenyatta Highway
at Pilot Estate.
This follows the diversion of Kenyatta Highway at Nampak to
pave way for the rehabilitation of the road.
The residents had contracted a caterpillar excavator to dig
a trench that blocked the path the vehicles were using leaving them with no
other option but to use the main Thika-Garissa Highway. This in turn caused a
heavy traffic jam on the highway that blocked all the outlets towards town from
Makongeni Estate.
Business in Jua Kali stalled as vehicles completely blocked the
entry. After some time, the artisans decided that they could not take it any
longer and forcefully covered the trench, a move that irked the
residents of Bulleys Estate.
They confronted the Jua Kali guys who resisted their
advances, a situation that resulted to a scuffle and fist fight.
A quick reaction by one of the people there to call Kang’ethe
saved the day. He arrived just in time to quell the skirmishes.
After listening to both sides, he pleaded with the residents
to allow vehicles to pass through their estate as they worked out a solution to
the dust which was the bone of contention. It was agreed that they would
constitute a committee of three people who will meet the contractor on Monday to
lodge a request for him to be watering the road every day until business on Kenyatta
Highway was back to normal.
Blocking of the road meant that vehicles could only access
Makongeni via Garissa Road or Kenyatta Highway to branch at Nampak. The former inconvenienced
Pilot, Kimathi and Jua Kali commuters who basically had no access to their
destinations. Using the latter route inconvenienced all Phase 13, 10, 6
& 7 residents who would be forced either to walk home from Nampak or be
dropped at the BAT Junction to board another vehicle to their nearest bus stop.
Hence, Kang’ethe pleaded with Bulleys tenants to
bear with dust for now until an amicable solution was reached at.
No comments: