Residents of Ongata Rongai in Kajiado County on Monday morning engaged police in running battles as they blocked the road and lit tyres protesting the poor state of area roads.

The irate residents and motorcyclists, who carried twigs and chanted animatedly, blocked the busy Maasai Lodge road lamenting over the poor state it has remained in for years.

Police officers were forced to lob teargas canisters to disperse the angry residents and end the traffic flow disruption on the busy road that also spilled over to the main Magadi Road.

Motorists heading to and from Kitengela, Tuala, Nazarene University, Ole Kasasi, SGR Station, Ongata Rongai town and Nairobi were forced to seek alternative routes.

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Maasai Lodge Road protests. PHOTO/COURTESY SETH OMONDO

The protesters accused Kajiado County Government and Governor Joseph Ole Lenku of ignoring their plight despite pledges made on many occasions to tarmac the said roads.

This comes a week after residents wrote to Ongata Rongai Police Station OCS to be allowed to protest peacefully to push the county and national governments to refurbish area roads.


They blamed the poor state of roads in Ongata Rongai area for the devastating traffic snarl-ups that have become synonymous with the town that hosts more than 172,000 people.

“Take notice that the residents, business community, and road users of Acacia, Oloosirkon, Sholinke, Olooltepes, Ole Kasasi, Pesha, Kandisi, Scheme six, Kambi Moto, Kware, Maasai Lodge, Kitengela and Rimpa Areas will hold demonstrations starting February 20, 2023, to express the displeasure, dissatisfaction and annoyance at the way and pace at which the issue of infrastructure, namely, stalled 65kms of roads and Tuala - Kitengela roads are being handled by Kerra and the Ministry of Roads and Transport,” said a letter by Julius Ongaro Otieno, who convened the Monday demos.

The letter added, “The aim of the protest is to register our discontent and present issues that the county government needs to act on immediately to avoid further action.”


They lamented that most roads in Rongai had remained in dilapidated conditions for years despite numerous petitions and appeals filed with the county and national governments.

Of major concern to area residents is the Maasai Lodge road that remained in a poor state despite a contractor starting upgrading works towards the Ongata Rongai SGR stations but very little progress seems to have been made in more than two years.