Aruna Turay, AYV News, October 14, 2026
The collapse of the Matehun Bridge, also known as Mahelayhun Bridge, along the Makeni–KamakwieHighway has continued to disrupt transportation, trade and access to essential services in parts of Karene and Bombali districts more than two years after the incident.
As of 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, a litre of petrol was selling for Le60, while a bag of rice was reportedly selling for Le780 in Kamakwie town, amid continuing transportation difficulties and rising living costs.
The bridge collapsed in June/July 2024 under the weight of a granite-loaded truck, cutting off a critical transport link serving Kamakwie and surrounding communities. Since then, residents, traders, farmers and commuters have faced persistent challenges moving between the affected areas and other parts of the country.
Temporary diversion routes and footpaths constructed by authorities and local youths have repeatedly been washed away by heavy rains, leaving communities struggling to maintain reliable access across the affected section of the highway.
The disruption has severely affected the movement of vehicles, particularly trucks transporting food, fuel and other essential supplies to Kamakwie and neighbouring communities. With road access frequently compromised, transport fares have reportedly tripled, while motorcycles have increasingly become one of the few available means of crossing the affected area.
For residents, the consequences extend far beyond transportation costs. Students face difficulties travelling to school, traders struggle to move goods to markets, and patients encounter obstacles reaching health facilities. The situation is particularly concerning for pregnant women and others requiring urgent medical attention, for whom delays in transportation can have serious consequences.
Farmers have also been affected by the deteriorating transport situation. Difficulties moving agricultural produce to urban markets have contributed to post-harvest losses, reducing farmers’ potential earnings and disrupting the supply of food to consumers.
The resulting transportation challenges have added pressure to the cost of essential commodities in Kamakwie and surrounding communities. The reported prices of petrol and rice underscore the economic difficulties residents continue to face, although the extent to which the bridge disruption alone accounts for those prices would require further assessment.
Residents say the prolonged disruption has placed additional financial and logistical burdens on households already dependent on the road for trade, education, healthcare and other daily activities.
The bridge’s continued absence has also raised concerns about the resilience of temporary infrastructure in areas vulnerable to heavy rainfall. Repeated damage to diversion routes has left communities exposed to recurring disruptions, particularly during the rainy season.
More than two years after the collapse, the situation highlights the importance of a durable solution to restore dependable transport links between Makeni, Kamakwie and surrounding communities.
Residents’ experiences point to the need for sustained attention to the reconstruction of the bridge or the provision of a reliable alternative, alongside measures to improve road access and protect essential supply routes.
For communities in Karene and Bombali, restoring the route is not simply an infrastructure concern. It is central to economic recovery, access to healthcare and education, agricultural livelihoods and the movement of essential goods.
As residents continue to navigate the consequences of the collapse, the need for a lasting solution remains pressing.
