The Kenyan National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has launched a nationwide exercise to take back footbridges and underbridges that are occupied by hawkers and street families, stating that the takeover has made most of the facilities inaccessible and unsafe.
In a statement released on Saturday, September 20, the roads agency elucidated that the move is meant to promote pedestrian safety and eradicate the occurrence of accidents prompted when people are forced to walk across highways along unauthorized routes.
“Footbridges are designed to provide a safe, efficient, and sometimes pleasant walk for pedestrians. But the majority along highways are now impossible to use due to encroachment by street families and hawkers,” said the Authority.
KeNHA explained that the roadblocks have been forcing pedestrians to put themselves at risk of crossing major roads, with devastating consequences at times.
A study published in 2019 by the Journal of Transport & Health confirmed that pedestrian accidents rise by up to 40 percent if footbridges are blocked.
The evictions are being undertaken in collaboration with the county governments, National Police Service, National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO), and other enforcement arms.
The exercise has already begun in the first phase along the Ruiru–Thika section of the Thika Superhighway, a section that has long been notorious for pedestrian congestion and regular accidents.
Kenyans have long complained about hawkers taking over the footbridges, claiming that their presence obstructs pedestrian movement and threatens lives.
Street families themselves have long taken over underpasses, with critics arguing that the practice is against the use of the pedestrian facilities themselves.
The issue is especially timely as the country is still constructing its highways. The nation has an estimated 200 to 300 footbridges nationwide, and at least 17 more will be constructed in Nairobi in the coming few years.
It was just last month that KeNHA approved the construction of a Ksh100 million footbridge in Ruiru, Kiambu County, to curb accidents along the Thika Superhighway.
The construction, which will take about 18 months, came after long complaints by residents against dangerous crossings.
Despite that the Authority has explained the evictions on the basis of safety, the move is set to be controversial, especially regarding how street families were treated and what other areas would be left for hawkers.
At least for the time being, KeNHA maintains that its concern is still about saving lives by ensuring footbridges and underpasses are in a condition to serve the purpose for which they were built: keeping pedestrians off danger.
