A bridge that cost the Kajiado County Government Sh100 million to construct has collapsed a day after Governor Joseph Ole Lenku commissioned it.
The Paai bridge in Kajiado East, which spans the River Orkeriai, collapsed after severe rains hit the area Tuesday and Wednesday night.
The bridge’s pillars fell down to the weight of the flash floods and collapsed, leaving residents stranded on each side.
The bridge was planned to connect three wards in Kajiado East Sub-County: Matapato North (Kajiado Central), /Eselenkei (Kajiado South), and Kenyawa Poka Ward.
The three wards are connected by a shared road that crosses the River Orkeriai, the area’s main seasonal river.
During the rainy season, the river exceeds its banks, shutting locals isolated from cattle markets and crucial services at government offices and hospitals.
Locals must cross the bridge to get services in the towns of Loitokitok, Kajiado and Mashuuru.
Last week, when the bridge was unveiled, Lenku stated that it will open up the neighbourhood and as a result, alter the lives of the locals economically.
Farmers were cut off from markets during the wet season before the bridge was built, resulting in losses as their food rotted on the land.
The bridge fell late last night, residents reported, when the flash floods undermined the bridge’s support components.
Locals flocked to the location yesterday morning to see the collapsed bridge and voice their dissatisfaction with the project.
Following the fall, Mashuuru resident James Lesinko expressed his dissatisfaction and blamed the contractor’s poor craftsmanship.
Lesinko claimed he had planned to sell his tomatoes at Mashuuru market, which he had harvested the day before, but that he was now unable to do so.
“I am very disappointed by the collapse of this bridge which has served us for only a few days. We are now unable to access markets to sell our produce and we will incur huge losses,” he said.
