Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho narrated how KDF soldiers and police officers 'scared the hell out of him' during opening of the iconic Dongo Kundu bypass, a key transport link that will open up the Coast to investment and fasten the movement of goods and people in Kenya’s second largest city.
President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the first phase of the bypass, constructed at a cost of Sh11 billion, which will ease the perennial traffic congestion that hampered the movement of people and goods from Kenya’s oldest and second largest city.
The 10 kilometre bypass runs from the Second Container Terminal of the Mombasa Port and joins the Mombasa - Nairobi Highway at Bonje near Mazeras.
During the launch on June 14, Joho narrated to Kenyatta and residents present how he saw a lorry full of KDF soldiers following him as he approached the venue of the event.
He said police were also along the road, something that left him wondering if they had been sent to harm him.
"When I was coming, a lorry full of soldiers was trailing me something that left me wondering what they wanted from me. I was scared until when I saw them showing me pass sign asking me to pass very fast," Joho said, leaving the president and the crowd in stitches.
The governor pledged to work with Kenyatta, saying he was invited once again in Mombasa.
On his part, Kenyatta said: "This road we are commissioning today is a unique piece of infrastructure. It is designed with provisions to integrate seamlessly with the Port of Mombasa, the Moi International Airport, the Standard Gauge Railway, the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, and the upcoming Mombasa Northern Bypass."