Nairobi Hospital and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority are at odds over the construction of a footbridge.
The hospital claims that the footbridge being built along Ngong Road connecting it to Kenyatta National Hospital constitutes a security hazard and is requesting that the road authority put the project on hold.
James Nyamongo, the hospital’s chief executive officer, said in a statement on Thursday that construction of the footbridge must stop because it puts the public at risk of radioactive exposure.
“The hospital is demanding that the construction of the footbridge be suspended to allow for inclusive consultations in accordance with the constitutional requirements of inclusive public participation and stakeholder engagement,” he said.
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Nyamongo added that there are safety issues regarding the radioactive materials installed in the cancer treatment center, and that the construction exposes the hospital’s power and oxygen systems to criminal attacks.
Kura rebutted Nairobi Hospital’s management’s assertions that the construction of a public footbridge would be dangerous.
The private hospital requested that the bridge be moved 50 meters from their gate, and this request was taken into consideration, according to the Kura Director General Silas Kinoti.
“Correspondence has been made with the hospital and they gave their input requesting the bridge to be moved 50 meters from the original location and it was done,” Kura said.
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Kura defended the project by claiming that all parties involved were consulted before construction began.
“KURA has engaged the multi-national security and environmental agencies on the matter and the agencies advised on remodifying the bridge and we did as advised,” they said.
Given that the bridge’s construction had been delayed due to disagreements with the hospital’s management, Kura pleaded with the hospital to be reasonable in its requests.
“Nairobi Hospital is one of our greatest institutions but must consider public safety, loss of lives, traffic along this road, and financial implications due to project stalling and delays,” added Kura.
“The statistics of the pedestrians knocked around KNH are alarming and thus a footbridge is urgently needed to avert more deaths.”
The footbridge has been under construction since January this year.
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