Two Arrested for Cultivating Crops in Protected Njoro-Mau Road Reserve

The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) has intensified a crackdown on unlawful activities along the Njoro-Mau Summit Road (B129) after two individuals were arrested and arraigned for farming within the road reserve.

In a statement on Saturday, March 14, KeNHA announced that the two suspects were found cultivating crops within the protected road reserve during an enforcement operation carried out by officers from its South Rift region led by the Roads Superintendent in collaboration with the Axle Load Enforcement Unit (ALEHU).

The two were later arraigned in court and were fined Ksh 10,000 each with an alternative sentence of three months imprisonment upon failing to pay the fine.

“KeNHA South Rift Region has taken enforcement action against unlawful activities within the road service along the Njoro-Mau Summit (B129) Road,” the authority said in a statement.

“Two individuals found cultivating crops within the road reserve were arrested during the operation. The suspects were arraigned in court and both were convicted,” it added.

The authority further warned that road reserves are protected areas and that any encroachment, including farming or other activities, is unlawful.

The officers also urged members of the public to keep road reserves clear so as to ensure road safety, facilitate maintenance works and allow room for future expansion projects.

“Members of the public are urged to respect and keep road reserves clear to ensure safety and allow for road maintenance and future development,” KeNHA said.

Farming along road reserves is particularly dangerous since these reserves are meant to provide safe space for vehicles and people. Crops, structures, or farm equipment close to roads can obstruct visibility or cause accidents, especially along busy highways.

The operation by KeNHA comes even as construction and expansion of the busier highway intensifies from Rironi to Mau Summit.

The government has already announced that sections of the Ksh170 billion project would be ready by April 2027, though the entire project would be completed before June of the same year.

At the same time, KeNHA is under scrutiny for clearing trees along the area to allow for the expansion, but the authority clarified that it would plant four trees for every one cut.

The Rironi-Mau Summit road expansion project is a 170-kilometre stretch linking Nairobi to the Rift Valley and western region. It will feature a four-lane dual carriageway from Rironi to Naivasha, a six-lane dual carriageway between Naivasha and Nakuru, a significant upgrade from the initial two-lane plans.

Once completed, the road will boost the movement of people and goods from the western region and the Rift Valley to the capital, Nairobi.