Written By Ramadhan Kambi 📝
It is one of the most precious roads that leads to the Indian Ocean and an important infrastructure for the development of Magarini in Kilifi County.
However the sorry state of the Mjanaheri-Ngomeni road has led to increased losses especially for fishermen along the beaches of Ngomeni.
Now the locals want the government to speed up the tarmacking of the road to ease movement in the area.
The local community wondered why it has taken long since independence to tarmac the road despite its heavy contribution to the revenue of the country from the San Marco Italian Space agency and other key resources such as fish, and sand.
While addressing journalists, the locals said they have suffered for many years and urged the government to ensure the road is done.
One of the residents Mr Suleiman Tora, now 40 years old said since he was born the situation of the road has been bad.
He spoke in Ngomeni that they have been promised that there are funds set aside for such development but nothing is forthcoming.
“Our MP recently promised by us that funds were ready for the implementation of the road but its yet to be done,” he said
He said women and the sick normally suffer when they seek to travel as they are forced to use boda-boda which is risky due to the poor state of the road.
He said there is an ambulance at San Marco space agency but not all the time is accessible due to the demands.
Tora said even the contractor who will be given the job to tarmac the road must do it to the desired standards as the road is used by trucks ferrying sand.
Lali Mohamed, another resident of Ngomeni said the government has failed to do the road for years and blamed the authorities for the laxity.
Mr Mohamed said in 2003 they wrote a proposal to the Italian government seeking funds for the construction of the road, Sea wall, hospital and school in Ngomeni but none was done despite the funds being allegedly allocated to the government.
“We find it hard to ask the Kenyan government to tarmac the road because for us its poor, we can’t ask the government which has failed to tarmac this road for 53 years its shame to the world,” he said.
He said Ngomeni is a rich sub-location that feeds the nation through the Italian space agency but is the one that has been forgotten for ages.
Katana Kazungu resident Kasima Ka Charifu said they want the road to be tarmacked to relieve them from the perennial challenges of a poor road network.
“This road is normally used by investors from Sand harvesters, big companies such as San Marco project but as local we do not benefit due to the poor state of the road,” he said.
Late last year the Italian government announced it would fund key blue economy and infrastructural projects worth over Sh. 780 million (6.5 million Euro) in the Coast region.
Italian Ambassador to Kenya Alberto Pieri said among the projects under the integrated development program that would be done include the tarmacking of the Mjanaheri Ngomeni road that links Malindi to the Italian space agency, construction of schools, dispensaries and key blue economy projects most of which will be done in Kilifi county.
Magarini MP Michael Kingi said the process was in its final stages and was awaiting signing by the treasury CS Ukur Yattani for the project to kickstart
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