Residents from Jomvu Constituency in Mombasa County, on Thursday raised concerns over the poor state of the Jomvu Kuu-Jitoni-Rabai Road, launched by President William Ruto in 2018 when he was Deputy President.
In a petition presented in Parliament by area MP Badi Twalib, the residents expressed their frustration with the government after initially being promised that the road would be completed promptly.
However, despite being launched to much fanfare, the project has since stalled, leaving residents to contend with the poor state of the road.
The residents argued that efforts to reach out to government officials to get the contractor back on site have proved futile which has prompted them to indulge the MP.
According to the residents, the situation has left them even more furious because some houses were demolished to pave way for the project.
"The road is dilapidated, exposing residents to extremely dirty conditions when it is dry and impassable due to mud accumulation during the rainy season," read part of the petition.
The residents complained that residents have been struggling to move from one point to the other which has been made worse by the ongoing heavy rains. They further argued that they are forced to spend a lot of money to repair and maintain their vehicles which get spoilt and break down due to the bad state of the road.
When it was launched, the road was hailed as a game changer as it was supposed to link the area with neighbouring towns and service the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway.
The residents further lamented about the lack of a reliable water supply since the pipes were destroyed ahead of the touted road construction. They stated that this is affecting them in a major way since the pipes cannot be fixed before construction is completed.
"This has caused the residents to face exorbitant charges to access the basic commodity. They have to purchase from water bowsers," the MP stated.
Consequently, the locals called on the Kenya Urban and Rural Roads Authority (KURRA) to complete the stalled road within the next six months.
They also asked the MP to take any action necessary to ensure the road is completed.
Responding to the matter, Majority Leader and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah argued that the project stalled under the previous regime stating that President William Ruto's government has pledged to finish the road in a timely fashion.
During the session, other members of parliament complained of facing a similar issue in their constituencies.
