Residents of Kitengela are calling on Kajiado governor Joseph ole Lenku to intervene and clear the road leading to the GK Athi River Prison.

According to the residents, the road has almost been taken over by mechanics, who have turned it into an open-air garage.

The about one-kilometre-long road runs from the Prison to the busy Namanga Highway, which passes through Kitengela town.

It is a busy road that passes through the main Kitengela slaughterhouse, which serves the whole of the densely populated Kitengela with its meat needs.

Apart from housing the prison, the Athi River GK Prison also hosts a primary and a secondary school, emphasising the importance and the busy nature of the road.

In recent years though, a large section of the road, from Joystar Supermarket, at the beginning of the road, to the slaughter house, about two hundred meters away, is nearly impassable due to the many mechanics who have set up shop on the road, blocking passage.

Franzis Wambua, a resident of Kitengela, raised the issue hoping that it would get the attention of the county leadership.

“I am bringing to your attention the capture/grabbing of Kitengela prison Road from Joystar Supermarket to slaughter House, by mechanics,” says Wambua.

“It's unfortunate that in that stretch, two vehicles from different directions can't bypass one another since the road has been turned out to be a garage on both sides,” he says.

He is of the view that if the county government is not willing to remove the mechanics from the road, then it should “construct another road for we pedestrians, car owners, bodabodas, tuktuk owners and cart owners. We waste a lot of time there trying to squeeze ourselves.”

Longton Jamil, a businessman in Kitengela echoes Wambua’s sentiments as far as the removal of mechanics from the road is concerned.

“That road serves the prison area, which is a high security area and thus shouldn’t have any obstruction,” he said.

Residents say that Kitengela has an area set aside for jua kali artisans like mechanics, but a number of them prefer operating along major roads as that is where motorists easily access them.

The Prison road was improved to cabro standards during Lenku’s first term as governor between 2018 and 2022.

Previously it was an all-weather road full of dust, during the dry days and mud during the rainy season.