City Affairs

State to build 17 flood-damaged footbridges in Nairobi at a cost of Sh500m

The collapsed bridge in Kiambiu. (Photo: Justine Ondieki)

By Bashir Mohammed | Saturday, May 18, 2024

The floods have had a significant impact on the country, causing loss of life, disrupting the movement of people and goods, and resulting in substantial economic losses.

Kamukunji is among seven constituencies in Nairobi set to benefit from a Sh500 million fund allocated for the reconstruction of 17 footbridges destroyed or swept away by recent devastating floods.

This initiative, led by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), aims to restore critical infrastructure and ensure safe crossing points over dangerous rivers in high-priority areas.

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Justus Onyikwa, KURA's deputy director, emphasised the project's urgency due to the large populations in the affected constituencies.

"The estimated cost of finishing the work on the 17 footbridges is around Sh500 million."

Currently, Onyikwa said the focus is solely on Nairobi, with plans to extend repairs across the country once additional funds are secure.

He noted that over 80 per cent of the bridges had been severely damaged.

Other footbridges being reconstructed include the Gitathuru-Wanjiru Footbridge, Mandera-Koria Footbridge, Lungalunga-Viwandani Footbridge, and Mosque Road Footbridge.

Others are Ngumba Bridge, Huruma (Ghetto area) Footbridge, Madoya Bridge, Gitathuru-Utalii Hotel Footbridge, Kisii Footbridge, Kiambiu-Uhuru Bridge, Ruthimitu-Uthiru Bridge, Nyando Bridge, Sarang’ombe Footbridge, Sarang’ombe Motorable Bridge, and Mumwe Road Box Culvert.

On Wednesday, while assessing the damage to the Gamba section of the Lamu-Witu-Garsen road in Lamu, which was destroyed by floods, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced that approximately Sh30 billion is needed to rehabilitate critical infrastructure, including roads and bridges, ravaged by floods across the country.

He stated that the current regime is still evaluating the extent of the damage, and estimates that between Sh25 billion and Sh30 billion will be required across different bodies within his ministry.

"We have been severely impacted as a nation and as a ministry with the loss of vital infrastructure such as roads and bridges," the CS explained.

"We still need to validate the damage to determine which roads belong to KeRRA, KeNHA, and KURA, and since many bridges were destroyed, we will require a substantial amount of money to rebuild them," he added.

According to a report by Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Monday, the devastating floods have caused over Sh80 billion in infrastructure damage, with this figure only representing damage to roads and expected to rise once other sectors are taken into account.

The floods have had a significant impact on the country, causing loss of life, disrupting the movement of people and goods, and resulting in substantial economic losses.