Excavators on site at the Kimorori playground./KNA
A standoff has emerged pitting residents of Kimorori in Murang’a South Sub-county and the national government administration officers after local youth objected to the construction of the new sub county headquarters on a field long used for sports and training.
The youth argue that the field has been an integral facility in developing their talents and that its conversion into offices would leave them without a place to play and train.
They have called for alternative arrangements to preserve recreation facilities available for sports and mental health while the government proceeds with the sub-county headquarters project elsewhere.
“We want to grow our talents, but now they are taking over this field; what will we do? Young people will turn to crime. We come here to play and train every day after our hustles. Sometimes we even have up to 15 teams playing on this field where will they go?” posed Samuel Warutere.
He added, “How I wish they were building washrooms and dressing rooms for us instead of taking the whole field away.”
Another youth, Nduta Macharia emphasized the social benefits of the field.
“We keep ourselves busy on the field, shun antisocial behaviors, and at the same time bond with each other for mental wellness and taking it away will leave a big gap in our community,” she said.
Kimson Mwangi also noted that Kimorori has produced great players, and taking it away is akin to killing the dreams and talents of the young players.
“After work, we come here to train and go home refreshed such that we have no time to engage in drug or alcohol abuse; where will we go now?, he posed.
“If you have an occasion, you can invite your friends here and get assistance, but without this field we do not have an alternative,” said Mwangi.
In 2022, the Maragua NG-CDF committee earmarked Sh24 for the construction of the subcounty headquarters as well as an ICT hub and modern law court.
When contacted by KNA for comment, Maragua Member of Parliament Mary Wamaua clarified that the field had been earmarked for the sub-county headquarters and insisted that construction must proceed now that the procurement process is complete.
She stated that nobody was grabbing the land adding that normal construction procedure was taking place.
“How can one grab the security powerhouse of a sub-county and construct their own houses? We are building government offices,” she said.
For the last two years, we have been preparing the construction site by levelling the playground as we were awaiting completion of procurement processes and now that funds are available, the construction must go on,” said Wamaua.
She advised the youth to guard against being used to incite conflict or derail development.
Murang’a South Deputy County Commissioner Gitonga Murungi also weighed in on the matter, noting that while the field had been used informally as a playground, it is not officially designated as one.
“There is no separate ownership marking it as a playground. For example, where Kenol Police Station now stands, was a primary school, which was relocated through public participation when the need arose for a police station emerged,” he explained.
