The Nairobi Expressway has broken its silence following concerns that some plants, especially those attached to the highway's pillars, had begun withering.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Sunday, May 1, a representative from the company confirmed that within the firm managing the project, there was a fully-fledged department tasked with greening the entire 27-Kilometers stretch.
The representative also noted that the plans were in motion to ensure that the plants on the Ksh88 billion highway are maintained.
The firm indicated that a separate disciplinary committee had been set up to handle violations related to the highway including the destruction of the infrastructure as well as the plants making part of the highway's beatification.
"We have a department responsible for the greening of the Nairobi Expressway. They are the ones responsible for ensuring that the plants are watered and taken care of.
"There is a department responsible for the violations that happen across Nairobi Expressway. In case of any violation, one has to go through a disciplinary committee that is supposed to decide on what punishment you are capable of receiving," the firm stated.
A section of Kenyans had on Sunday raised concern after photos cropped up showing withered plants on a section of Mombasa Road.
Many of the concerns revolved around the company's capability to sustain the plants and the highway given that some had withered just weeks after planting began.
"If they wither as soon as they are planted, sustaining them is near impossible," lawyer Kipchumba Karori observed.
"Have been wondering if they could have devised a system to capture some of the rainwater from the expressway (which is now just torturing drivers/pedestrians below) and put it through a system to water those plants," added Tom Mboya.
A recent video showed a truck manually watering the plants through spray methods - a technic most road users termed unsustainable in the long run.
It is, however, not clear whether Moja Expressway, a subsidiary of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) that built the road, has employed its own staff to take care of the plants or it outsources from independent agricultural companies.
The firm also remained mum on the exact type of punishment violation suspects face over damage on the highway only noting that a disciplinary system was in place.
Other prohibitions on the highway include maintaining a speed of 80km/h, and no U-turns for motorists while no pedestrians will be allowed to get on to the expressway.
Below is a video of the Nairobi Expressway watering exercise:
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