Residents of Athiru Gaiti in Igembe South Constituency took to the streets to protest the deplorable condition of their local roads, specifically the Maua-Kindani road, which is a critical link between Meru National Park and Maua town.
These aren’t the first road concerns residents have raised.
In 2023, President William Ruto visited Athiru Gaiti and pledged that work on upgrading the road to bitumen standard would commence by February 2024, but with no visible progress and the contract reportedly untouched, many feel that these promises were not fulfilled.
According to reports, the contract for the road’s upgrade was awarded to a company associated with a prominent Meru politician, who was recently dismissed from his powerful government post.
People online commented on the protests, while others urged them to give President William Ruto time to construct the roads.
“Isn’t it striking how unfulfilled political commitments and contracts associated with controversial figures transform promises of road upgrades into a hotbed of frustration and mistrust?” Neomad said on X.
“The rate at which demonstrations are happening anywhere at any time means that civic education is working, and Kenyans have woken up to the demand for accountability and transparency,” @ismusembi posted on X.
“They should allow our president time to work. We don’t want them to cause anarchy,” Mwalimu Wanjala said.
