A heavy downpour marred repair works on a stretch of the Maai Mahiu-Narok road closed to traffic due to wide cracks that are a danger to motorists.
Engineers from the Ministries of Public Works and Roads and a team from the Kenya Highways Authority who were working to fix the road were forced to abandon the works.
The heavy rains that pounded the area added to the chaos as motorists struggled to navigate the muddy stretch with most vehicles getting stuck in mud.
Earlier, an engineer at the site, who declined to be named, said they were hoping to complete the works by the end of the day.ensure the repair works are completed in time,” he said.
He said the tunnel was huge measuring six metres wide and six metres deep.
“The damages caused by the floods were huge but we are working around the clock to complete the repairs."
The engineer said they were assessing other sections of the road, as heavy rains continued to pound the area.
Cracks, believed to be caused by weak underlying volcanic soil, appeared on sections of the road a fortnight ago following heavy rains leading to its closure on Thursday.
“We have decided to close the road because of the cracks that run across the road,” said Kenha spokesperson Claire Ouko on the decision to close the busy road.
"We have been looking at the situation and as of today, the cracks were as wide as 25 millimetres and widening."
Motorists heading to and from the western parts of the country have been forced o use alternative routes, such as the main Nairobi-Naivasha highway.
President Kibaki inaugurated the Maai Mahiu-Narok road on August 26, 2011. The road links Nairobi to the famous Maasai Mara Park, as well as to western Kenya.
The closure of the highway is likely to affect tourists travelling to the Maasai Mara and also motorists travelling to Narok and western Kenya.
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