By Christopher Omondi.
The residents of Kaloleni-Shaurimoyo ward in Kisumu County are raising concerns with the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), which is mandated to manage, develop, rehabilitate, and maintain rural roads, including the Brilliant-Baptist road. According to the service charter, this road is part of their responsibility; however, the residents of Kaloleni-Shaurimoyo ward, particularly in the Nubian and Brilliant areas, feel they have been failed by KeRRA.
The residents assert that those in charge of the project are letting them down, as no proper work is being carried out. Instead, the money allocated for maintaining and improving the roads appears to end up in the personal accounts of individuals trusted to oversee the project. This is evident in the case of this road, as conditions have become riskier for commuters, despite the road being busy with students and pupils heading to various institutions in the area, including Kisumu Polytechnic, Shauri-Moyo Primary School, and Joyland School.
“I reside here in Brilliant, and this road has no drainage, leading to environmental issues such as waste and dust, which affect residents who live and operate businesses, particularly eateries along the road. The state of this road may also increase the likelihood of accidents, as it has many corners that distract motorists who do not stay in their lanes. Many young children use this route to get to the nearby Shauri Moyo Primary School. Additionally, there are overgrown trees and shrubs along the road due to negligence. The main material used to maintain this road, which is murram, is simply not a long-term solution, as it wears out quickly, returning to a poor and pitted state. Finally, the poor lighting system on the road exacerbates insecurity,” stated Jack Ochieng, a resident.
Efforts to reach out to the Director of Road Asset Management at KeRRA, who has overall responsibility for the project, have proven futile. Some youth groups and Community Based Organisations have attempted to contact the office through letters demanding accountability.
“We can’t reach the Director of Road Asset Management, who is based in Nairobi, but we know there should be a Regional Manager for KeRRA who can account for the projects under their watch in this region. We want better work done in terms of improving this road. We can’t say we want to improve it yet continue to apply murram every time. A lot of money is allocated to our sub-county for such projects by the national government, and we call on the Member of Parliament for Kisumu Central, Mr. Joshua Oron, to follow up on this and other stalling projects in our constituency,” stated Amos Sigu.
