Residents welcome KURA plan to close Mlolongo-Kamulu Rd for renovations

Residents and motorists in Mlolongo have welcomed plans by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) to temporarily close the Mlolongo-Kamulu Road (Quarry Road) for two months to pave the way for rehabilitation.

KURA, in a public notice on Sunday, said the road will be closed from October 1 to December 1, 2026.

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The Authority said the closure will allow for essential construction works on the busy road.

"The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) wishes to notify the general public of temporary traffic disruptions along the Mlolongo-Kamulu (Quarry Road), effective Thursday, October 1, 2026, until Tuesday, December 1, 2026. This disruption will allow the contractor to carry out essential construction works along the affected section," KURA said.

During the period, traffic will be diverted to alternative routes.

Light and medium vehicles will use Syokimau-Katani Road or Syokimau-Parliament Road, while heavy commercial vehicles will use Tuffoam Road.

KURA asked motorists to observe traffic signs and follow instructions from traffic marshals and police officers deployed on site and apologised for the inconvenience.

Mavoko MP Patrick Makau welcomed the closure, saying it is for the good of residents and motorists.

Speaking through his representative, Erick Matheka, the MP urged the public to cooperate with the contractor for efficient and timely completion.

"I want to make the public aware of the road's intended closure for the next two months. The contractor might, however, complete the work earlier," Matheka told the Star at Quarry Road on Monday.

He said the road has been in a pathetic state; hence the closure is justified.

"Most residents have always complained about the road's pathetic state. This is the reason why we requested KURA to place a slab on it instead of tarmacking, which has always been futile," Matheka said.

He said concreting the road would offer a permanent solution.

"Diversions will be created for all road users. Trucks will be diverted to Tuffoam while light vehicles will use Katani Road. As the people's representative, this is a positive move since when roads are repaired in the best way, time taken by motorists and other road users is reduced. Vehicles are also not exposed to a lot of wear and tear when roads are in good condition," he said.

"I appeal to members of the public to take the road's closure positively and cooperate with the contractor so that the work is completed earlier and well done. We shouldn't witness what happened in Sabaki where the contractor was frustrated by residents," he added.

Mlolongo-Syokimau Bodaboda Association chairman Alex Mutuku also told his members to take note of the closure and use the designated diversion routes.

Mutuku said the government is doing a great job repairing sections of Quarry Road which have claimed several lives in road accidents in the past.

"I want to inform bodaboda operators that Quarry Road will be closed from October 1 to December 1. Despite it being a busy road, the closure and repair have lots of benefits to motorists and bodaboda operators alike," he said.

He said their motorcycles will no longer break down frequently once the road is repaired.

"The road has remained dilapidated for years. This has always resulted in heavy traffic snarl-ups owing to the tens of motorists alongside trucks using the road on a daily basis. Let bodaboda operators use the alternative routes," Mutuku said.

He urged pillion passengers to bear with riders during the construction period.

"We won't use our usual routes. So, if you see our riders use either Mlolongo Phase Three or Syokimau to access Katani area, don't be scared. Please cooperate until the construction works on Quarry Road are completed," he said.