By Tobias Ogutu
An airport and its surrounding area should always have adequate lighting at night. Proper lighting facilitates the safe landing of planes and enhances airport security. Illumination should not be limited to the airport and its immediate vicinity, but should also extend to the streets leading to it. Obunga Estate, located in Kisumu Central Sub-County, is one of the areas adjacent to Kisumu International Airport (KIA). However, this area is poorly lit, and the street on the main highway to KIA has faulty lighting, with only a few lights functioning properly.
The residents of Obunga are left to wonder how the streets leading to an international airport can lack a proper lighting system. A young man in Obunga questioned why the streetlights are not functioning, despite the county government collecting taxes daily from their streets during the day. These residents now wonder if they are paying for sunlight, as there are no streetlights when night falls.
Most businesses in Obunga are forced to close just before nightfall due to rising insecurity, which has gradually increased since the streetlights stopped working. Lucy Achieng’, a fish seller in Pap Mbuta, explains that the floodlight stopped functioning two years ago and has not been repaired despite repeated pleas from sellers to the county government through their elected Member of the County Assembly (MCA). Musaa, a native of Obunga, recalls that local leaders, including the area’s MCA, promised that after installing floodlights and streetlights, maintenance and timely repairs would be ensured so that the streets would never be left in darkness. However, two years later, the streetlights along the highway, Pap Mbuta, and Kasarani areas remain nonfunctional, and no action has been taken.
Poor lighting on Obunga Street causes some parts of the highway to the airport to remain dark, creating breeding grounds for thieves who attack travelers at night. Residents want the dark streets near the airport to be illuminated again. Additionally, traders from Pap Mbuta request that the floodlights be repaired so they can continue selling without fear of insecurity. The community members accuse their area’s MCA of failing in his duties of representation and oversight, as they have petitioned him about this issue, but no action has been taken.
