Residents of the Nguni and Nuu areas in Kitui county recently asked that the government expedite the construction of the Enziu River Bridge, in order to guarantee that the project is completed.
The government began construction on the Enziu River Bridge at the beginning of the year. It committed more than Sh500 million to the bridge’s construction.
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Although the Kiu construction company secured the contract, the construction work has been progressing very slowly.
According to Manzi Mwanzia, a resident of Nguni, if the bridge is not completed by the deadline, there is a risk from the Killer Enziu River. She said the contractor needs to work faster to prevent more deaths.
During the rainy season, the Enziu river swells for days, forcing residents to wait. It is said that many of the people who try to cross risk losing their lives. This is according to Faith Ndunge, a resident of the Nguni area who is currently working at the construction site.
How the Enziu River Bridge has affected the resident’s lives
Ruth Mawia, also a worker at the site, said that the bridge is very important to the locals. She said that the bridge has caused them untold pain during the rainy seasons, with many lives already lost.
Nevertheless, according to Erick Odhiambo, a worker for Kiu Construction Company, which is carrying out the construction, everything is going as planned, and despite the difficulties posed by the coming rains, construction work is expected to proceed.
Evans Achoki, the regional commissioner for the area, criticized the contractor for being sluggish. The criticism was made when the Eastern Region Development Implementation and Coordination Committee toured the bridge construction site in June of this year.
According to him, it was agreed that the contractor would re-plan his work. The contractor should begin erecting visible structures in the coming months. By the end of next month, the contractor should have completed constructing the bridge.
After a bus carrying choir members from Mwingi to Nuu was swept by the water, drowning over 30 people, the Enziu River caught the public’s attention. The Enziu River Bridge had also been the scene of many deaths in the past.
