Utawala residents in Embakasi East Constituency on Wednesday morning woke up in protests to demonstrate against the poor state of North Airways road.
The road was impassable as residents lit tyres and barricaded the road with stones.
Woke up to a demonstration of burnt tyres and blocked roads, traffic galore on Utawala Airways road, stuck just! @DrAlfredMutua @MikeSonko what is your government doing about our roads #FixOurRoad @Ma3Route @Gidi_Traffic @AdiemaAdiema @NyoikeTj @GrayMarwa pic.twitter.com/Hsv8QfBnbu
— Scarlet C. Chemarum (@poeticscarlet) September 26, 2018
This follows what the residents claim that uncontrolled truck drivers ferrying marrum from a nearby quarry have been using the road for a long time now.
They claim the continued use of the road by trucks has caused a lot of dust on the road which gives them lots of health problems, raging from eye to chest problems.
Utawala residents hold a protest complaining about sand and ballast trucks messing up the road and bringing a lot of dust pic.twitter.com/k4Bo6pdWs4
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) September 26, 2018
Protesting residents argue that efforts to reach their area leaders have been fruitless, citing that they have called area governor Mike Sonko severally to tour the area but till now he hasn’t given then an ear.
Businesses in the area remained closed throughout the morning hours as access to business locations remained barricaded.
Today we cannot go to work in Utawala, public transport paralyzed by residents protesting harassment by truck drivers heading to the quarries @Ma3Route @citizentvkenya @KTNKenya @KenyanTraffic @DrAlfredMutua pic.twitter.com/9wi4A5xMF1
— J Kagwima Muriki (@WKagwima) September 26, 2018
The area MP however came in to assure them that plans were due to start construction of the roads in the area.
I have met DIRECTOR GENERAL Kenya Urban Roads Authority and agreed that the construction of Benedictor to kinca road at Utawala ward in Embakasi east constituency will commence next week.God bless Embakasi east constituency. pic.twitter.com/0zN6fzXI5j
— Babu Owino (@Babu_Owino) September 26, 2018