Street families, human waste, hawkers take over Nairobi footbridges

Yet, hundreds of Nairobians risk their lives daily, crossing busy roads because of abandoned footbridges that have been overtaken by street families and hawkers. 

For many, even the thought of using these footbridges at night is terrifying, as they remain dark and unsafe.

Amidst the bustling chaos of everyday life for Kenyans around Muthurwa Market in Nairobi, two footbridges currently stand as grim symbols of neglect and despair.

These footbridges were meant to protect pedestrians and give them safe passage across one of the city's busiest roads, but they have been turned into open public latrines. 

Human waste litters both bridges, the stench unbearable, as street families and hawkers make the most of the space using it as a toilet, a refuge, and a last resort. 

Commuters are forced to cross the road, risking their lives in the deadly traffic below.

“I pass through this road every time and I have witnessed several accidents. Those involved are pedestrians crossing the road,” Justus Kongu, a matatu operator says.  

“The bridge over there is so dirty. It has been turned to a public toilet, you cant pass through,” says Maina Wanjohi, a pedestrian.

According to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), 1578 pedestrians lost their lives between January and November 18, 2024. Nairobi is leading in these statistics with 261 deaths followed by the neighbouring Kiambu and Nakuru counties.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Status Report on Road Safety 2023 for the African Region states that Africa accounts for nearly one fifth of all road deaths globally, despite being home to only 15% of the world’s population and 3% of its vehicles. Many of these deaths are preventable.

The WHO report attributes the rise to multiple factors, including inadequate road safety laws and standards. No country in the region currently has laws that meet the best practice standards for the five key road safety behavioural risk factors i.e speeding, drunk driving, non-use of motorcycle helmets, seatbelts and child restraints.

Other than the deplorable state of these footbridges, the residents say some of these structures are misplaced, hence do not serve their purpose of saving lives.

“This foot bridge only goes into the market, so what if I do not have errands in the market? Secondly, it is very dirty and unsafe,” says Mwangi Kamau, a pedestrian. 

Along Mombasa Road, the footbridges are fairly well maintained, but some Kenyans are still risking their lives running under the bridge; their reason? It is too far.

A number of those who crossed the road in our presence could not comment on camera for fear of being apprehended. 

According to the Kenya Traffic Act, any pedestrian who fails to comply with crossing rules, that is, designated crossing points, shall be guilty of an offense and liable to a fine.

Perhaps lack of enforcement of such laws is one of the reasons hundreds of people are killed while crossing the road

NTSA Director for Road Safety Andrew Kiplagat acknowledges that there is a problem but calls for personal responsibility by pedestrians even as government entities work on their part. 

“Of course there are reasons people say I am in a hurry and all those kinds of things but others desire to use these facilities, but there is the issue of cleanliness sometimes they are very dirty. There is also the issue of even lighting there is the issue of people using for other purposes like hawkers,” Kiplagat says.

I witnessed pedestrians who stood waiting to cross the road for more than 10 minutes at the General Motors Stage, even though using the footbridge takes less than 5 minutes.

The situation is similar along Outering Road at the footbridge connecting Tassia Estate and Pipeline, where residents run dangerously under the footbridge which has been partly taken over by hawkers.

According to Dr. Kiplagat, the safest systems approach to managing road safety are segregation where vehicles, pedestrians, and motor motorcycles are operating on fenced off lanes. 

A situation at the Ngara Bridge along Thika Road, pedestrians have no choice but to cross using the footbridge. But vandalism and cost implications may not allow this along all roads

“A good example is the Eastern bypass joining Mombasa road, initially there were those guard lanes and guard lanes are put specifically because they say the road should be forgiving it shouldn’t punish you. Because of this vandalism we realised that people removed them and now they are open so people are able to cross and that was not desired,” Kiplagat shares.

In April this year, President William Ruto launched a Road Safety Action Plan that aims at reducing road fatalities by 50%. According to NTSA, 60% of road crashes are caused by human error.

Kenya National Highway Authority (KENHA) has started lighting the footbridges along Mombasa Road with the hope of saving more lives at night where majority are scared of using dark footbridges. But the situation at Muthurwa Market requires urgent attention from the County Government.

“They do not clean it. It even takes a month before the bridge is swept. They (street dwellers and hawkers) have built houses up there. When it gets dark you can not pass through the bridge, women are more scared of using it,” Mwangi Kamau states. 

“Traffic laws are there, the urban areas have by laws to support that we have NTSA guidelines the Highway Code is there the only thing and we will not tire is to sensitize our people so that they know and also use other means like enforcement to be able to manage those ones who are none-compliant,” Kiplagat states. 

The situation on city roads is literally a matter of life and death. 

Simple interventions, like regular cleaning, lighting of footbridges, installation of CCTV cameras, fencing access to the road to prevent crossing, and removal or prosecution of traders invading them, may be solutions that prevent countless tragedies on our roads.