Traders given 30 days to leave road reserve as KSh5.5B Nanyuki–Doldol highway upgrade begins
Nanyuki–Naibor Turnoff–Doldol road
KeNHA has issued eviction notices to businesses and homeowners along the B101 corridor ahead of a major construction drive
By Angela Mwanga
The Kenya National Highways Authority yesterday issued 30-day eviction notices to traders, homeowners and other occupants along the Nanyuki–Naibor Turnoff–Doldol road, ordering them to vacate the B101 corridor as preparations for a KSh5.5 billion highway upgrade gather pace.
KeNHA said it has already identified and marked structures considered unauthorised within the road reserve. Those who fail to comply with the notice risk having their structures demolished once the authority moves to clear the corridor ahead of construction.
The upgrade of the B101 road — which links Nanyuki through Naibor Turnoff to Doldol — is among the more consequential infrastructure projects planned for the region. For motorists, traders and communities that depend on the corridor daily, improved tarmac, better drainage and enhanced road safety would represent a meaningful shift in how people and goods move across the area.
But the notices have landed hard on those who have built their livelihoods along the roadside. Many of the affected traders are small-scale operators who have occupied their current locations for years, sometimes decades, accumulating steady customer bases and informal networks that cannot simply be packed up and moved within a month. Relocation, for them, is not an administrative inconvenience — it is a financial disruption with consequences that may outlast the construction period itself.
The tension is familiar. Infrastructure development in Kenya has long struggled to reconcile the urgency of building with the reality of the people who happen to be in the way. Road reserves have, over time, become home to entire informal economies — fruit vendors, hardware stalls, mechanics, food kiosks — whose presence is technically unauthorised but whose contribution to local commerce is undeniable. When the bulldozers arrive, it is rarely the structures that are complicated to remove. It is the lives attached to them.
KeNHA’s notices do not address what, if any, support will be extended to displaced traders. The authority has not publicly indicated whether relocation sites have been identified, whether compensation is under consideration or how the enforcement process will be monitored for fairness. These are not peripheral concerns. How they are handled will determine whether the project is remembered as a catalyst for regional development or as a case study in how not to engage affected communities.
The B101 corridor, once upgraded, is expected to ease the movement of agricultural produce from the fertile zones around Laikipia and Isiolo counties to markets further afield. Better roads reduce post-harvest losses, lower transport costs and improve access to schools, hospitals and other services for communities that have long contended with difficult terrain. The long-term case for the upgrade is not in dispute.
What remains in question is the process. A 30-day window is tight under any circumstances. For a trader who may have nowhere to go, no savings to cover the cost of relocation and no certainty about what comes next, it can feel less like a notice and more like an ultimatum.
Authorities would do well to remember that the success of infrastructure projects is measured not only in kilometres of tarmac laid or contracts signed, but in the degree to which communities feel the process treated them with dignity. Transparent communication, early engagement with affected parties and a clear plan for those displaced are not optional extras in responsible infrastructure delivery — they are part of the work.
The B101 upgrade has the potential to transform connectivity across a significant stretch of northern Kenya. Construction timelines, funding arrangements and technical specifications will all matter. But so will the 30-day clock now running for the traders standing in its path.
Similar Posts by The Mt Kenya Times:
- Kenya secures AGOA extension to 2028, unlocking continued duty-free access to US market
- Kenya’s public wage bill set to hit KSh1.287T as county spending strains fiscal limits
- KRA waives all tax penalties in year-end amnesty
- IEBC told to overhaul elections technology tender
- Mogaka blasts Uhuru over West Mugirango neglect, backs Ruto for second term
About the Author
