Compensation for land owners affected by the Kenol-Sagana-Marua road project is set to begin. Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Director General Engineer Peter Mundinia made the announcement and said that the compensations follows completion of valuation of their land by the National Land Commission (NLC).
“This process was very crucial because we will now be able to release funds for compensation and continue with construction works without any delays or interruptions,” said Mundinia.
The 84km road project starts from Kenol Township in Murang’a through Makutano and Sagana in Kirinyaga County, proceed to Kambiti in Machakos and end at Marua in Nyeri County. Phase one of the project will see 36 kilometres of road constructed from Sagana to Marua at a cost of Sh 6billion while the second phase will stretch for 48 kilometres from Kenol to Sagana at a cost of Sh 8billion. Eng. Wangai affirmed that the project, expected to be commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta will be about 80% done in a period of one year and will be partially operational.
Impacts of the road
The expansion of the Kenol-Sagana-Marua highway coded A2 is predicted to have major impact in the regions it cuts through, which are Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Machakos and Embu counties. Traveling time between Nyeri and Nairobi will be cut down by at least one hour and upon completion the highway will open up the northern corridor and create employment opportunities for thousands of residents in the agriculture, tourism, small and medium-sized enterprises sectors. The President is expected to inspect the project and will commission it once completed. He has been frequently assessing its progress.
The dual carriageway is the country’s second most expensive road after Thika superhighway. It will connect the Northern Corridor from Nairobi to the Lapsset Corridor in Isiolo, an African Development Bank (AfDB) financed project that is expected to link Kenya to Ethiopia.
