By Tobias Ogutu
Good roads are essential for a community to ensure easy transportation. A well-developed road network promotes trade within a region, allowing goods and services to be delivered to individuals efficiently and without delays. Additionally, good roads enable the government to access all parts of the country when fulfilling its responsibilities, such as providing security, supplying medicines to hospitals, and more. For these reasons, the government must construct and maintain public roads throughout the country. It is the responsibility of Members of Parliament (MPs) to oversee and ensure that main roads in their sub-counties are properly constructed and maintained. However, surprisingly, some leaders divert funds intended for public road construction to build and maintain private roads leading to their homes. This issue is evident in Obunga, located in Kisumu Central Sub-county.
During a heated discussion between the residents of Obunga and a concerned community-based organization (CBO), it became evident that local leaders were diverting road construction projects intended to improve public roads toward building private roads. Kevin Odhiambo, a resident of Obunga, recounted how he participated in a public consultation and advocated for the construction of the Awaya-Mbita road. However, when construction began, it was a private road leading to a particular home owned by a well-known friend of the area’s Member of Parliament. According to Kevin, this private road was not approved by residents during the public consultation but was prioritized due to the influence of the local leader.
Boniface Odhiambo also highlights how local leaders in Obunga divert resources allocated for public road development to construct private roads leading to their homes and those of their key supporters, all to gain political advantage. According to Odhiambo, the Kamakoa-Asango road was allocated three million shillings, but it remains incomplete to date. There is no proper drainage because part of the funds was redirected to construct a minor footpath that leads nowhere except to a resident’s private home. Residents of Obunga claim they have written to the Ministry of Roads and Public Works several times, but their concerns have not been addressed.
Obunga residents are now urging the national government to conduct an audit and follow-up, and to provide explanations for why some of the road projects they proposed during public participation remain incomplete despite allocated funds. The residents want to understand why the Awaya-Mbita road, which received a three-million-shilling allocation, has been unfinished since the 2022-2023 financial year. Additionally, they seek clarification on why the Kamakoa-Asango road is incomplete and was not constructed according to the original plan, as the road lacks drainage despite having a four-million-shilling allocation.
