The long-awaited upgrading of the Tharaka Nithi’s Miomponi-Mukothima-Gatunga Road from a rugged path into a crucial economic artery is picking up momentum, boosting rural connectivity and general mobility.

Implemented by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA), the 30-kilometer long road passes through Kareru, Mukothima Market, Irunduni, Gaciongo and stretches up to Gatunga, linking Nkondi Ward, Mukothima Ward and Gatunga Ward.

The road project is breathing life into a region that had been marginalized for long, something that residents acknowledged during a recent site visit by a section of the press.

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“I am 60 but I never thought I would ever see a tarmac road in our village,” said Esther Gatheri Nyaga, a vegetable vendor.

“This road will improve life here because of better connectivity. We will be able to get our produce fast to the market and reach more buyers, so trade and business will flourish,” she said.

Muthuri Naman, a local youth leader, shared her sentiments heaping praise on President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki for living true to their 2022 campaign pledge of infrastructure development through the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

He exuded confidence that the ongoing road projects are going to open up the region for development and economic growth and expand job opportunities for the youth.

“There are other key roads that Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA) is upgrading in our area. For instance, the Kathithini-Mukothima-Kaureni-Kirigicha to Murika and the one from Turima Tweru-Nkondi to university and the one from Gaciongo to Ura Gate and Shauri to Tithini,” he pointed out.

“We are seeing a lot of infrastructure development here in the grassroots. So as the residents of Mukothima, we are really thankful to the government for the good work it’s doing because we can see development right in our villages and other interior areas,” he affirmed.

“Nobody ever thought that Tharaka or Mukothima would ever get a tarmacked road so we are very grateful.

Once this road is completed, it will be used by many people; not just the people of Mukothima alone,” he added, noting that DP Kindiki pledged to assist President Ruto in transforming the country.

“Many people here are farmers and they normally struggle to get their produce to the market but once the road is completed, they will access the markets easily. Secondly, once the road is completed businesses will expand because again we have Tharaka University not far from here,” he explained.

During the State of the Nation address last November, President Ruto outlined his infrastructural plans for the country, setting an ambitious plan to tarmac 28,000 kilometres of roads in the next 10 years.

“The Ministry of Roads and Transport have already mapped out a comprehensive network of 2,500 kilometres of highway for dualling and 28,000 kilometres of road to be tarmacked over the next 10 years,” he said.

“History teaches us that nations rise on the strength of transport and logistics,”he affirmed, adding that this is part of a broader infrastructure push aimed at transforming Kenya into a first-world economy.

“The road has been in a poor state for many years and it gets worse during the rainy season. It becomes very muddy and vehicles get stuck in the mud but now the construction has reached Gatunga and we are very grateful to the government,” Samuel Ndagara, a resident of Irunduni.

Locals in the area rely on subsistence and small-scale farming for a livelihood and it is envisaged that the upgrading of key roads will enable them get their produce to the markets, cushioning them from losses.

“Some of the anticipated benefits of the road project include opening up the area by improving connectivity to the existing road network and major trunk roads,” the KERRA said in its latest project brief.

The road project is expected to be completed by February next year.