Residents of Wang’uru town in Kirinyaga county are upbeat about the new face of the urban centre as construction of cabro parking and driveways take shape.
The ongoing cabro paving works launched in October last year by Governor Anne Waiguru will raise the standards of the once dusty town to the level of Kerugoya, Kutus, Kianyaga and Kagio.
The project, which is a county flagship project, will cover laying of approximately 25,000 square metres of cabro which will create about 600 car parking slots.
It also involves improvement of the drainage system.
The project will cover both sides of the Wanguru-Gathigiriri road starting from the T-junction at the highway to Mwea rice mills near Wang’uru Stadium.
It will also cover both sides of the highway from Sidian Bank to Gathigiriri road junction.
Wang'uru played host to Mashujaa Day national celebrations last year, an event that was attended by more than 3,000 guests. Its roads have already been upgraded to tarmac.
Grace Njeru, a hardware shop operator in the town, is a beneficiary of the cabro parkings.
She said the cabros have totally changed the outlook of the area and created a conducive trading environment for the residents, as well as outsiders.
Njeru said the area was initially impassable during the rainy seasons, and would be extremely dusty during the hot seasons, a situation that kept away customers and negatively impacted on businesses.
“Before these cabros were laid, we could even go for weeks without making any sales since customers used to shun this part of the town, but now business is picking and we are registering better sales.”
She said the cabros have also enhanced the hygiene standards and beauty of one of the busiest and fastest growing towns in Kirinyaga.
Paul Kamau, another trader in the town, said the residents are very happy with the county's initiative in transforming the busy town.
“Upgrading of the town’s infrastructure will highly contribute to its economic growth and attract more investors. This project is the game changer for Wang’uru town and, moreso, its people,” he said.
Boda boda operators have also hailed the development,saying that their business is now booming.
Zachary Munene, one of the boda boda operators, said they previously used to operate under muddy conditions whenever it rained, making it hard for customers to seek their services.
“We are grateful that Wang’uru is getting a facelift. The initiative to modernise our town was long overdue," Munene said.
"I can’t wait to see how the entire town will look like with cabro parking and driveways everywhere.”
Other beneficiaries include rice farmers delivering rice to the mills, rice mills operators, rice traders and general traders, among others.
Waiguru said the project is twice as big as the Kerugoya town parking project that was also completed by the county last year.
She said her administration was committed to ensuring that there is equitable development in all parts of the county.
The governor said Wang’uru project was a timely response to the growing needs of urbanisation in the county.
In the other towns, the cabro projects involve construction of car parks, pedestrian pavements as well as storm water management systems.
They cover about 25,000 square metres cabro, creating more than 800 car parking slots.
The governor said the facelift is part of the county’s plan to turn the urban centres into economic hubs by improving trading experience.
The town serves as the major commercial centre for the tenants living in various villages in the expansive Mwea Irrigation Settlement Scheme.
Kirinyaga MCAs have already adopted a motion to have the town become the second municipality after Kerugoya-Kutus.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
