Kilifi residents protest over stalled Ganze-Kilifi road

Dozens of Rojorojo residents in Kilifi County staged a protest on Tuesday over the deplorable condition of the stalled 56-kilometre Ganze-Kilifi Road.

Residents said the road, whose construction was commissioned in 2021, was impassable with heavy dust, and with the onset of the rainy season, residents fear that things will get worse.

For the last two weeks, the residents have held protests temporarily blocking the road with tree branches, stones, and burnt tyres to pressure government to tarmac the road.

The residents claim that the state has failed to fulfill its obligation to tarmac the road, even though it has been designated for tarmacking.

Maryam Kitsao, a resident, said pregnant women and children are suffering the most.

"This road is affecting our health, and most of us here, including children, are suffering from respiratory diseases as a result of the dust," she said.

She added, "Most pregnant women who use this road to seek monthly antenatal care experience complications because of the bad state of the road."

Boda boda operators also said that they have been affected by the dust, and they are being forced to take their motorbikes for services frequently.

“This road has been dusty for decades now, and when it got commissioned, we thought things would improve,” said Adam Jefwa.

Jefwa called on Kilifi North MP Owen Baya to follow up on the matter, saying the protests would intensify in the coming weeks if no action is taken.

He said they plan to stage similar demonstrations every week, strategically exerting pressure on the government until their concerns are adequately addressed.

“This is our second week now, and we are not going to stop until we see something tangible,” said Jefwa.

Another resident, Sharo Wela, a bodaboda rider, said the poor state of the road has contributed to frequent road accidents in the area.

Business activities along the road have also been paralysed for the last two weeks.

Local business owners have reported severe impacts, including missed deliveries, reduced customer traffic, and a general slowdown in operations. Some traders have been forced to use boda bodas for long distances to access some business centres.

Some of the businesses affected are those ferrying milk from Ganze to Kilifi town and Matatus operating from Ganze and Matanomane to Kilifi town.

The residents are calling on President William Ruto to honour his promise by completing the road, as their children are at risk of dust-related illnesses.

The road was commissioned in 2021 by the then-former Transport CS James Macharia, and it was allocated a budget of 2.1 billion.

Speaking in February during the burial of Mzee Kingi Mwaruwa, father to the Senate speaker Amason Kingi in Kamale, President Ruto promised to finish all the pending projects in the county.