BY EMMANUEL KIPRUTO
The Kapkondor–Kimaut Road serves as a crucial link connecting several villages within our community in Kericho County. The road facilitates the movement of people, goods, and essential services including access to Londiani markets, primary schools, and health facilities that is Kimaut dispensary. In recent months, however, the road has deteriorated significantly and is now impassable, posing serious challenges to residents and hindering socio-economic activities.
The road’s condition has worsened due to prolonged rainfall, inadequate drainage, and lack of regular maintenance. Deep gullies, muddy patches, and blocked culverts have rendered it impossible for vehicles and motorcycles to pass. The community now relies on unsafe footpaths, while transportation of goods and emergency services has been severely disrupted.
Despite several appeals made by the Kericho Youth Policy Network (KYPN) and community members to the County Department of Roads and Infrastructure, there has been no visible intervention or response to address the issue.
The impassable state of the Kapkondor–Kimaut Road has resulted in the following problems:
- Limited Access to Health Facilities:
Patients, expectant mothers, and persons with disabilities face great difficulty reaching nearby hospitals and clinics. Emergency response vehicles cannot access affected villages. This road act as a link between the Kimaut dispensary and the Londiani District Hospital. - Economic and Livelihood Impact:
Local farmers cannot transport produce to markets, resulting in post-harvest losses. Traders have stopped visiting the area looking for farm produce to book or even buy, leading to loss of income and increased poverty levels to the locals. - Education Barriers:
Students are unable to commute to schools during rainy seasons, leading to low attendance and poor academic performance. And also make children injured due to sliding when going to or from schools. - Isolation and Security Concerns:
The road’s poor state has cut off villages, making them difficult to reach. This isolation has led to rising insecurity and delayed community development activities. This has resulted to increased illicit brewing in the villages due to poor patrol by police officers resulting from impassable road. - Stalled Development Projects:
Ongoing development programs, including health outreach and water projects, have been delayed due to inaccessibility by service providers and contractors.
The Kericho Youth Policy Network, under the Siasa Place Program, has:
- Held community forums to discuss the road issue and collect evidence of its impact.
- Submitted formal complaints and requests for intervention to the relevant county offices.
- Engaged in advocacy through social media platforms to draw public attention to the matter.
Despite these efforts, no corrective action has been taken to date.
The Kericho Youth Policy Network hereby recommends the following:
- The County Government of Kericho, through the Department of Roads and Infrastructure, should urgently deploy a maintenance team to repair the Kapkondor–Kimaut Road.
- Establish a sustainable drainage system to prevent future erosion and flooding.
- Allocate adequate budgetary resources for routine maintenance of rural access roads.
- Strengthen community involvement and monitoring through CBOs such as KYPN.
- Collaborate with development partners and NGOs to implement short-term interventions, including gravel filling and culvert clearing.
The Kapkondor–Kimaut Road is a vital infrastructure that supports the economic, educational, and social well-being of the community. Its current impassable condition has caused severe disruption to daily life and hindered development.
