Mbogholo Bridge along Msa-Mld road submerged by floods in Kilifi

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Mbogholo bridge along the Mombasa- Malindi road that was washed away on Monday due to the ongoing rains. PHOTO: DAVID NGUMBAO.

Kilifi,KENYA:Mbogholo Bridge  located along the  Mombasa- Malindi  road was on Monday submerged   after heavy rains hit parts  of the Coast region.

The bridge situated a few metres from Kilifi town, was  on Monday evening submerged, as strong water tides could not go through the designed channel.

According to residents of the environs, the incident occurred in the midst of heavy down poor.

Commuters from Kilifi were forced to use the Mavueni-Kaloleni road as those from Mombasa were forced to use the Mombasa-Kaloleni road.

Other affected areas are Bamba, Ganze, Jaribuni and Jila where roads have been rendered impassable; as the road network between Kilifi town and Bamba, Vitengeni has also been destroyed by the floods.

Kilifi county Public Works, Roads and Transport chief officer Ken Kazungu told Baraka FM that the structural stability of the bridge had not been affected and the county disaster management team were on the ground to monitor the situation.

“The waters have now subsided and traffic flow has returned to normalcy but the county disaster management unit are  on the ground to monitor the situation.” Said Kazungu.

Small vendors and fruits sellers at the busy Oloitip Tip market in Kilifi town are also recording loses because of the rains.

A Bamba resident Issa Fondo was forced to cut short his trip to Kilifi town, after a section of the road near Bamba town was washed away by the raging waters of Kadete Ka Mgunguna seasonal river.

“As we speak now, the culvert at Kadete Ka Mgunguna along the busy Kilifi-Bamba road has been washed away and drivers have been forced to use a shallow road which is also flooded,” said Mr Fondo.

He said that the sorry state of the road has been caused by heavy Lorries carrying ballast from Jaribuni to Mariakani where the government is tarmacking the 40 kilometer stretch.

“The lorries carrying heavy loads have left gaps and holes in the roads currently filled with water and inconveniencing other roads users,” he said.

Juma Karisa, a saloon car driver who was driving from Kilifi to Bamba said the road had been totally cut off as one approaches Mkuluni stage and past Stage B near Rare River.

“It is very difficult to access Mkuluni and stage B at the moment, the road has been totally covered with mud, giving drivers a hectic time,” he said.

Ganze Deputy County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo confirmed that transport has been affected along the road after the heavy rains.

He said the road was recently repaired by the government but some of the portions had been washed away by the rains.

“The road was recently graded and most of the gaping holes were sealed but because of the rains, they have been destroyed,” said Mwabudzo.

In Kilifi town, fruits sellers and other vendors decried lack of customers for the last three days because of the rains.

Although they were given shades by the county government, the area is often flooded and has forced customers to stay away.

“The business has been affected because no customers are coming to buy our fruits,” said Kache Ngowa, a mango vendor.

READ ALSO: Heavy downpour renders Mombasa roads impassable

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