The County Government of Tharaka Nithi and the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 held a consultative meeting on safety intervention of the “Killer” Nithi Bridge.
Deputy Governor Muisrael Nyaga met with representatives from KeNHA at the governor’s satellite office at Chuka, where they discussed urgent safety interventions for the bridge, that has been linked to numerous fatal incidents since its construction in 1983.
“Nithi bridge is a notorious black spot that has claimed lives and hindered safety of motorists and pedestrians over the years. We have held a consultative meeting with KeNHA and we hope to reach a solution soon, just as we promised in our campaign manifesto”, the deputy governor said.
County Executive Committee Member in charge of Lands, Physical Planning, Roads and Infrastructure, Engineer Julius Giti Kijiru noted that the bridge’s design, with its downwards approach and sharp curves remains the main cause to numerous fatal accidents, emphasizing on the need to have the bridge redesigned.
KeNHA Senior Land Valuer, Njiru Njue, noted that the team was on a stakeholder engagement mission, to seek interventions and make the bridge a safe and reliable passage.
“We are here on stakeholder engagement mission on the proposed interventions and seek views as mandated by the constitution, to get discussions going and be able to provide solution to save lives. We are currently doing preliminary studies, and this engagement is to make sure we collect all views”, he said.
President William Ruto in his campaign manifesto during the 2022 polls had promised re-engineering of the bridge within the first 6 month if elected to office, after an accident involving a Modern Coast bus claimed 36 lives.
Several leaders including Governor Muthomi Njuki and Meru Senator Kathuri Murungi have also on previous occasions called for its re-engineering.
