For Charles Mwiti Kinyua, living near Nithi Bridge in Tharaka Nithi County has meant a lifetime of watching emergency vehicles race to the same spot, over and over again.
Now, with construction of a new bridge visibly underway along the A9 Embu-Meru road, the longtime resident says the community is daring to believe that the cycle of tragedy could finally be broken.
Years of Accidents and Unfulfilled Pledges
Mwiti described how crashes at the bridge had become so frequent that locals had grown almost numb to the sight of rescue teams responding to emergencies.
“We are tired of coming here to see accidents. Whenever there is a crash, we see police officers and firefighters rushing here to rescue people. We had reached a point where these accidents had become almost normal,” he told Tuko.co.ke.
The bridge’s grim reputation has deep roots. In 2022, a Modern Coast bus plunged into the Nithi River at the crossing, killing dozens of passengers in one of the most devastating road accidents the region has witnessed. That tragedy, and others before it, had long made the crossing a symbol of infrastructure neglect.
Mwiti said political promises about the bridge had been a recurring feature of election campaigns, rarely followed by action.
“People have been promising us this bridge for years. But today, you can come here and see the contractor on the ground and the work progressing. That is why I tell people not to say the Government is doing nothing. The Government is working,” he said.
He added that visible progress had shifted how residents interpreted political pledges.
“During campaigns, politicians come here and tell us, ‘you are our people, we will work for you.’ But when the campaigns are over, we are forgotten. This time, people can see something actually being done, and that gives us confidence.”
A Mega Project for Mt Kenya East
Mwiti tied the project to the Kenya Kwanza administration’s broader agenda for the region, noting the significance of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki’s roots in Mt Kenya. He urged President William Ruto to sustain the momentum.
“President William Ruto should continue with the work because now we can see projects taking shape.”
Fellow resident Dalmus Mugendi echoed that sentiment, describing the bridge as one of the landmark projects the government was bringing to Mt Kenya East.
“This bridge is one of the mega projects that this government is bringing to the region,” he said. Mugendi challenged sceptics to visit the site and judge the progress for themselves, and called on President Ruto to stay focused on delivery rather than local political noise.
For residents, completing the bridge is ultimately less about politics and more about protecting lives. As Mwiti put it, the community’s priority now is to see the work through to the end.
