Construction of the Sh7.5 billion Nithi Bridge has formally commenced, with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki directing the contractor to accelerate works while maintaining quality and safety standards on the project expected to end decades of deadly accidents at the crossing.
The 880-metre bridge, which will rise 100 metres above the Nithi River, will link Marima and Mitheru through 2.7 kilometres of approach roads along the Nairobi-Embu-Meru highway. The government has secured and ring-fenced funding for the project, with the 24-month construction period expected to be shortened without compromising engineering standards.
Speaking during the commencement of works in Maara Constituency, Tharaka Nithi County, on Thursday, Prof Kindiki said residents had spent four decades appealing to successive governments to replace the existing bridge, built in 1985.
Hundreds of people have lost their lives in accidents at the crossing, with buses, lorries and private vehicles plunging into the river.
“From 1985, we began pleading with the government to design and build a new bridge. For 17 years, during President Moi’s administration, the government did not have the money to construct a new Nithi Bridge,” he said.
Prof Kindiki said the appeals continued during the administrations of Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, but neither government managed to deliver the project.
He recalled that residents had expected the bridge to be built under Kibaki, whom they had overwhelmingly supported in the 2002 General Election.
“We thought that now that our own man was in power, the Nithi Bridge would be built. For the ten years of the Kibaki presidency, we pleaded, cried and petitioned for a new, modern bridge, but the government did not have enough funds to build it,” he said.
He added that Uhuru’s administration also left office without constructing the bridge, despite his personal association with the former President.
“I thought that the man I had helped at The Hague, together with his deputy, would ensure that the Nithi Bridge was built. But was it possible? The money was not available,” Prof Kindiki said, referring to his work as a lawyer for Uhuru and William Ruto during their cases at the International Criminal Court.
The Deputy President said the Ruto administration had first prioritised stabilising the economy and clearing outstanding payments to contractors before expanding road construction.
“When President William Ruto took office, we found the economy in a difficult position,” he said, citing the reduction of fertiliser prices from Sh7,000 to Sh2,500 per 50kg bag as one of the measures undertaken to support farmers.
Prof Kindiki said the government had since cleared Sh177 billion in arrears owed to contractors, allowing stalled road projects to resume.
He added that engineers had been directed to develop a more ambitious bridge design after an initial proposal costing between Sh1.7 billion and Sh1.8 billion was found inadequate to address the safety challenges.
“We have suffered enough misfortune here, and we do not want any more problems,” he said.
The Deputy President also announced plans to construct an additional 515 kilometres of tarmacked roads in Tharaka Nithi County, covering Maara, Chuka Igambang’ombe and Tharaka constituencies.
He warned contractors against delays, threatening to replace those who fail to meet implementation targets.
“If he does not, I will dismiss him and bring in a contractor who will speed up the work because the time is now,” he said.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
