ROAD TO TANZANIAN BORDER AT LUNGA LUNGA CUT BUT FLOOD WATER DAMAGE
Reports have emerged from the Kenyan coast that a key road link between Mombasa and the Tanzanian border at Lunga Lunga has been disrupted, following biblical rainfalls which caused several culverts to be washed away.
The road on both sides of the affected portion is now a major parking yard for trucks as well as busses, which are unable to pass the washed out sections of the road. One bus, attempting to cross before the entire stretch of road collapsed, was left hanging in suspense with the rear wheels dangling over the deep crater, before it was removed by a crane and tow truck.
Work is underway to repair the section, initially with a temporary bridge being put into place by the Kenya Defence Forces engineering corps, but full functionality may only be restored after reconstructing the culverts and bridges now damaged beyond repair, something which might take months to accomplish.
Saloon cars and 4×4’s were able to use a detour but the rough terrain, in part through the Shimba Hills and Kwale, made the journey cumbersome and slow, according to a source based in Ukunda.
None of the tourist resorts along Diani Beach were affected though access to some of the more remote parts of the southern coast line of Kenya were inaccessible other than by boat.
Torrential rains have swept parts of Eastern Africa and only last week also caused the collapse of a section of a key highway from Kigali to Musanze, although there a workable detour was established within two days. The rains have led to serious flooding as a result of rivers bursting their banks, loss of crops, livestock, property and lives and made even access to some of the national parks difficult as roads and tracks have turned into mudways.
