Enziu Bridge Nears Completion as Final Deck Sections Arrive in Kitui

The final bridge deck sections for the Enziu Bridge in Kitui County have arrived on site, marking a key step toward completing the crossing.

Images from the site showed flatbed trailers delivering steel girder sections, with a crane positioned to lift the components into place along the riverbank.

The Enziu Bridge spans the Enziu River on the Nguni-Nuu route in Mwingi, Kitui County, an area that has recorded repeated drowning incidents during flooding over the years.

The crossing gained national attention after a 51-seater bus carrying members of a Catholic church choir and wedding guests was swept away while attempting to cross the flooded river on December 4, 2021, killing 32 people.

Kiu Construction Limited was awarded the contract to build the bridge in 2022, but the project stalled repeatedly over the following years due to funding delays and payment disputes with the contractor.

President William Ruto pledged Ksh600 million (approximately $4.6 million) toward completing the bridge, with officials targeting completion around September 2026, following earlier missed deadlines for the project.

A progress update issued by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) earlier this year put overall physical works at 59 percent completion, including pier caps, bearing seats and slope protection along the approaches.

KeRRA's update also confirmed the steel girders required for the bridge's superstructure were fabricated in China and awaiting industrial inspection before shipment to the site.

Once complete, the bridge will provide a permanent, all-weather crossing for residents of Nguni, Muangeni, Mutyang'ombe, Kaai and Nuu areas, who currently rely on a flood-prone drift during the rainy season.

Local leaders, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, have previously visited the site to press for faster completion, following years of unmet government pledges to finish the crossing.

The bridge's completion will end nearly five years of stalled construction since work first began in the aftermath of the 2021 tragedy that first drew national attention to the crossing.