Residents of Maili Saba in Laikipia West Constituency took to the streets on Wednesday morning, voicing their frustration and anger over the closure of a vital access road by an investor. Led by community leaders David Ntwiga and Francis Njega, the protesters argued that the closure of the road, which connects their neighborhood to the Maili Saba shopping center, has severely affected their daily lives.
The residents explained that the road in question was a public pathway, providing crucial access to essential services like the dispensary and schools in the area. The dispute began when a local investor, who had purchased the land from a resident, moved in and fenced it off, thereby blocking the road. According to the protesters, the investor did not honor a previous agreement to leave a 12-foot-wide passage for public use, thus restricting the community’s access to necessary amenities.
David Ntwiga, one of the protest leaders, expressed deep concern over the impact of the closure on the daily lives of residents. “How will we be able to access crucial services such as the dispensary when we have to use alternative longer routes?” he questioned. “This road was cleared with the government’s intervention, but now the investor has come in and closed it off, denying us our right to free movement and access to services.”
For residents like Paul Koech and Ruth Elal, the closure of the road has disrupted decades of commuting. Koech, a long-time resident, pointed out, “We have been using this route for decades to go to work, drop our kids off at school, and access the market. How can a public road be blocked like this? Other investors in the area have been cooperative, allowing public passage routes for peaceful coexistence.”
Ruth Elal echoed Koech’s sentiments, emphasizing the hardship faced by expectant mothers and sick children. “This closure has made it extremely difficult for expectant mothers to reach the dispensary and for sick children to get to the hospital. We need urgent intervention from the authorities,” she said.
Efforts by the residents to engage the investor were unsuccessful, as he was unreachable for comment. However, local administrators indicated that they were planning a public meeting where the residents could air their grievances and seek a resolution. “We are aware of the situation,” said a local administrator who wished to remain anonymous. “We are organizing a public forum to allow the residents to voice their concerns directly, and we hope to find a peaceful solution to this dispute.”
The Maili Saba residents argued that the closure of the road by the investor was in violation of a previous agreement, which allowed for the passage of vehicles and pedestrians. This agreement was reached following a government intervention that had cleared the path, emphasizing the importance of maintaining access to the road for public use.
As the community faces the challenge of accessing essential services through longer and more arduous routes, the residents have called on the authorities to intervene and ensure that their rights to free movement are respected. The protest, which drew attention from local and national media, underscores the importance of safeguarding public access to roads and pathways, especially in rural areas where such routes are critical for daily life.
“We are not asking for much,” said Njega, another protest leader. “We just want our access road back. It’s a simple demand that will allow us to live our lives with dignity and ensure that our children can go to school and our elderly can reach the dispensary without unnecessary delays.”
The upcoming public meeting is expected to be a crucial moment for the residents of Maili Saba, as they seek a resolution to this ongoing issue and reaffirm their commitment to preserving their community’s accessibility.
