Road Project That Will Revive Nairobi's Umoja Estate
The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), in a statement on Thursday, February 11, disclosed that the 8 kilometer Umoja Innercore road project will see eight roads rehabilitated in Umoja and its environs.
Marvin Chege 
The government has kicked off a road project worth Ksh902million that is set to improve Nairobi's Umoja Estate.
The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), in a statement on Thursday, February 11, disclosed that the 8 kilometer Umoja Innercore road project will see eight roads rehabilitated in Umoja and its environs.
Plans included in the project involve upgrading the roads bitumen standards, a 7-meter wide two-lane carriageway, inclusion of a 2-meter footpath, bus bays, drainage facilities, road marking, and street lighting.
Umoja Innercore is composed of several road links that include Ruaraka Crescent Road, Kangundo Moi Drive link, Malewa - Mwangaza Road, Nasra Estate Road, Kifaru Mutindwa Road, Kangundo Service Road, Mowlem Link Road, and Outer Ring Road.
The authority detailed that the road project is expected to be complete by November 2022. Speaking during the commissioning of the road, Embakasi West MP George Theuri promised that the road project would improve opportunities for residents and locals in the area.
"This project will open up Umoja and its environs to commercial ventures, enable residents to move with ease, improve security, create local employment, and improve connectivity within Embakasi West," Theuri mentioned.
Netizens praised the project, terming it as a stepping stone in reclaiming Umoja's lost glory.
Nairobi is undergoing a top-to-bottom transformation in infrastructure as the government seeks to use the multibillion projects to make the city attractive to visitors and locals. The transformation has even gone as far as Nairobi's satellite towns that fall underneath the Nairobi Metropolitan Area.
The authority on Wednesday, February 10 laid out plans for the construction of a new barrier at the Chania River bridge off the Thika Superhighway. This is after residents and motorists raised concerns over the safety conditions of the bridge.
"Following an inspection by KURA engineers a decision has been made to remove the barrier and a new one installed to protect this historically ornamental bridge built in 1936," read an excerpt of KURA's statement.
The rehabilitation is part of NMS's ambitious plan to rehabilitate 444 kilometers of road in one year. NMS Director General Maj. Gen. Mohammed Badi pointed out that the aim of the 444-kilometer project is to increase accessibility in the informal settlements.
"One year from now, all access roads within the informal settlements will be tarmacked," Badi affirmed.
