Motorists on the busy Mombasa Road were on Sunday, May 14, treated to a rare scene where poorly equipped road construction workers resorted to fixing blunders using pangas.
It so happened that the seemingly busy workers were not prepared for the assignment that entailed peeling off the old markings on the busy road.
The builders who had been working on the road for the better part of the week discovered that they had made errors when they re-calculated the road margins.
"There is a variety of equipment, both cheap and expensive, used to strip old thermoplastic paint used for road markings.
"Contractor could have hired one and job done in a few hours without endangering the lives of motorists," social media user Robert Audi observed.
The video that was shared on Monday, May 15, went viral drawing mixed reactions from a cross section of Kenyans, questioning why the government was not serious with the ongoing works on Mombasa Road.
"After messing up Mombasa Road lane marking, the government is now using pangas to chop away the blunder," Saddique Shaban, a veteran journalist wondered.
Mombasa Road lanes were besmirched during the construction of 27-kilometer elevated Nairobi Expressway that begins from Mlolongo to Waiyaki Way.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on March 24, directed the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) to repair damages caused on sections of Mombasa Road during the construction of the Nairobi Expressway.
Murkomen noted that damages were dangerous to motorists and nearby estates as they had led to confusion as well as flooding that affected houses built near the Mombasa Highway.
“I have instructed road agencies under the Ministry to resolve the challenges on Mombasa Road so as to ensure the safety of motorists and smooth flow of traffic. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), for instance, is under strict instructions to undertake immediate drainage procedures along Mombasa Road and other affected areas.”
“We have already enlisted the services of contractors to begin repair works along Mombasa Road which was badly damaged when the Expressway was being constructed," Murkomen stated.
In response to the order, various agencies had been working on Mombasa Road for weeks, during when they expanded and re-drew the lanes, and reorganised exit points.
The reorganisation of entry and exits for Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) at around GM stage seemingly eased traffic pressure on Mombasa Road and brought much-needed relief for many road users who were previously being blocked by matatu operators.
By the time of publishing, KeNHA was yet to comment on the 'machete wielding' road construction workers spotted on the road fixing the errors.
