By Wacuka Maina
What began as an ordinary chief’s baraza on 15th may 2026 quickly turned into a heated discussion on insecurity, failed development, and land encroachment in Kapchumba area as frustrated residents demanded answers over the continued lack of street lights in the area.
During the meeting, resident Edwin Kiptoo raised concerns before the area chief, county representatives and ward administrator, lamenting that Kapchumba remained in darkness despite rapid population growth and increasing insecurity in the area. “The lack of street lights has promoted insecurity and fear among residents,” Edwin stated during the baraza. “People cannot move outside at night and when they do they are mugged and hurt. ” His sentiments were echoed by another resident Carol Mwangi who described the absence of lighting as a major inconvenience, due to poorly lit roads and pathways.
For Edwin Kiptoo, the issue appeared to be another example of neglected public infrastructure. However, the response from the area chief revealed a deeper and more complicated problem. According to the chief, Glady’s Bitok the failure to install street lights in Kapchumba is largely linked to land encroachment that has interfered with planned public spaces and road reserves. “The land that had been allocated for roads and installation of street light posts has been encroached on, making development difficult.”
The chief further defended her administration against accusations of inaction, stating that several efforts had already been made to address the issue. She revealed that surveyors had previously been brought into the area in an attempt to restore proper land boundaries and prevent further encroachment on public land. However, the process reportedly faced resistance from residents. “We tried bringing surveyors so that people could remain within their boundaries and stop encroaching on roads,” she said. “But the exercise became very difficult because some residents refused to cooperate.”
Her remarks shifted the conversation from poor infrastructure to a larger issue affecting development within the area Miss Valarie Chepkemboi who was present at the baraza admitted that encroachment was indeed a problem within Kapchumba. However, she pointed fingers at the older generation of landowners, accusing them of extending their boundaries into public spaces and road reserves, making it difficult for infrastructure projects to be implemented. The chief consequently urged younger residents to engage their parents and encourage them to respect official land boundaries so that development projects could easily reach the area.
The revelations exposed how land disputes and illegal encroachment are now directly affecting basic services such as security lighting, road accessibility, and emergency response within the community. The ward Administrator Rose Chelimo who was present at the baraza explained that rapidly growing areas were given priority with the government for street lighting development and that complaints of the area had already reached the budget makers.
As Kapchumba residents continue to demand safer streets and better infrastructure, Kevin Kibore of the Kilimani Buda CBO emphasized that a difficult truth to the residents stating that development cannot reach a community where public land meant for roads and utilities is steadily disappearing.
The growing concern now is whether residents will act on it as the Chief allocated Thursday June 4th for the holding of another baraza that will hopefully resolve the long-standing land disputes before the lack of planning and enforcement leaves the entire area permanently locked in darkness.
