The Maai Mahiu-Narok road – the busy highway connecting Nairobi to the South rift, the popular Maasai Mara game reserve, western Kenya and Luo Nyanza – caved in again this morning, Monday March 19, after developing a volcanic fault line.
The road was only recently repaired after part of it washed away due to flooding last Wednesday, in the midst of the recent storms plaguing Kenya. A fissure extending more than 3km upstream and 200m at the opposite end shut the road down, leaving some motorists stranded overnight.
Engineers from the China Communications Construction Company initiated immediate repairs, and Thursday afternoon saw the road in use once again, despite concerns that the repairs wouldn’t last. Infrastructure Principal Secretary Julius Korir said the road had ‘inherent’ weaknesses, and hinted that a redesign was possibly on the cards as the road was prone to damage during rainy seasons. The Rift Valley region is prone to volcanicity, said KeNHA director-general Peter Mundinia, who added that repairs would include filling up the fault line.
Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) corporate communications assistant, Charles Njogu, said motorists using the road have been instructed to use alternative routes, including the Narok-Nakuru road. "KeNHA has embarked on an immediate emergency exercise to restore the section using rockfill," he commented. “Meanwhile motorists are requested to bear with the situation, which is expected to necessitate traffic interruption, which may last up to four hours.”
