Roadside traders along Nyahururu town’s Koinange road, have read mischief in a notice to quit, issued to them by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority vowing to fight the eviction in court.
The Authority issued a 14 days’ quit notice to owners of kiosks, commercial buildings and other businesses encroaching on the Nyahururu-Boiman C486 road that is scheduled to be rehabilitated and marked with beacons to define the road reserve cutline.
A number of commercial buildings on the street face part demolition after the beacons were erected on the verandas, a move that has been received with mixed reactions.
“The move to evict us during this period when our economic wellbeing has been ravaged by Covid-19 pandemic and stringent measures to curb its spread is disheartening. We know KeRRA is helping Governor Ndiritu Muriithi (Laikipia) whose attempt to evict us when he assumed office failed,” said Jesee Mbuthi of Koinange Street Microfinance Traders.
Mbuthi said a case was pending in court against the Laikipia County government eviction attempt last year.
Jane Wanjiru who has been selling fruits along Koinange Street for many years protested that they had not been given alternative location to continue doing business. “We have children to feed and it is unfair to disturb our only source of livelihood,” she said.
KeRRA’s Central Regional Director for Roads, Willy Mburu, in notices to the traders dated April 22, this year, warned the traders not to ignore the ultimatum as they did to a similar one issued in February last year. “Please refer to our eviction notice dated 4th, February, 2020 in which all those guilty of encroachment were given 31 days to vacate the road reserve in question. We are currently installing road reserve marker posts and have noted with concern that our eviction notice was largely ignored,” read the notice, in part.
He said KeRRA shall move to the road to reclaim its reserve after expiry of the ultimatum.
Rehabilitation of Nyahururu- Boimann road, that is currently characterized by huge potholes and massive encroachment, will ease movement between the two towns, further connecting Nyahururu to Ol Jororok- Ndundori road at Charagita Trading Centre.
By Anne Sabuni
