Christopher Omondi.
Migosi ward in Kisumu County has been experiencing darkness in most of its streets, making it difficult for businesses and residents to operate effectively at night, resulting in increased rates of crime and insecurity in the area. According to residents from different areas within Migosi ward, they feel let down by the Kisumu City management, which is responsible for maintaining existing lights and installing new ones in areas that lack floodlights.
Residents of Migosi Central, particularly in the Mzee wa Kazi area, have been in darkness for close to a year despite having a floodlight that is currently not operational.
“This floodlight has not been operational for over eight months now, and as a result, we can’t operate our businesses effectively at night as the risk is too high with the increase in criminal activities. There used to be a shop operator who would contact the people in charge of maintaining these lights in case of technical issues, but since he moved about a year ago, no one can reach them. We know it’s the City Management’s responsibility. Even if you go through Migosi Hospital to Fourems Access Road, we lack lights on this important road, which also leads students to both Kondele Primary School just behind here and Ezra Gumbe Primary School, both of which have dawn classes starting as early as 6.30 am, further inconveniencing students and putting their lives at risk due to a series of security incidents in the area,” said Alphonse Odoyo, an elder in Mzee wa Kazi.
Other areas, including Helena Court, the Kenya-Re main gate, Lolwe Estate main gate, Kapenesa, and Dala Hera, where business owners primarily operate hardware shops dealing mainly in timber, have raised concerns about the floodlight situation, citing insecurity and shorter operating hours as the main issues.
“I have operated this yard for some time, but the darkness in this area has forced many operators to move to areas perceived as safer, as we lose our properties to theft. We, the people of Dala Hera, deserve proper lighting because even the young people we employ here to watch over our properties are often attacked by thieves, exposing them to greater risk. We now request our local leaders and all responsible departments to address the need for lights in these areas or to maintain existing floodlights that are not operational,” said Peter Omondi.
The residents of Migosi ward deserve lighting on their streets, as they are entitled to these services as taxpayers. The City Management of Kisumu should conduct due diligence to ensure that the people of Kisumu are safe and able to run their businesses effectively, thereby improving their standards of living.
