Raging floods ravage Thika-Garissa highway, halting transport operations

Transport operations along the Thika-Garissa highway came to a standstill as heavy rains washed away a section of the road at Tula area in Tana River County. The road, which had been partially damaged three days ago, was completely swept away, causing a major transport disruption.

The incessant heavy rains that began yesterday evening compelled eight bus companies, departing from Eastleigh in Nairobi and others from Garissa town with passengers on board, to turn back after being informed about the precarious state of the road. Idris Osman, a bus driver with Earth Plane Bus, stated that they had no choice but to return passengers to Nairobi due to the dangerous condition of the road.

He mentioned that unless the Kenya National Highway Authority establishes alternative diversion routes, approximately 15 bus companies operating between Nairobi, Tana River, Garissa, and Wajir were likely to suspend their operations. Six bus companies operating between Nairobi and Mandera had already halted their transport services for three weeks due to the ongoing El Nino rains that had wreaked havoc on the roads.

Mohamed Aden, a passenger van operator, reported that hundreds of passengers, using commercial vans, private vehicles, and over 100 heavy commercial trucks, were stranded at Tula area this morning. Despite exploring various options for alternative routes, the flowing water made it too risky to proceed, leading to hours of waiting for a solution.

Mohamed, who has been operating between Nairobi and Garissa for many years, expressed that he had never witnessed such devastating rains before. He called for government intervention in constructing diversion routes as a temporary measure to address the current crisis affecting four counties in the region.

This crisis unfolded as the Garissa-Mombasa road was washed away at Dukanoti, Bilbil, and Jaradende areas a day ago. Additionally, the Nuno-Madogashe road, damaged four weeks ago, remains in a deplorable state despite the Kenya National Highway Authority's announcement that engineers are working on the site to rehabilitate the damaged section.