•President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to lead the country in marking the 57th Madaraka Day celebrations on first of June this year from the Gusii Stadium.
•Majority of the roads within the Kisii Municipality, especially those in the Central Business District (CBD), have been in a bad condition.
Image: Courtesy
Several roads including key highways within the Kisii County Municipality are currently undergoing major rehabilitation and maintenance.
Among the roads are the Kisii-Kilgoris, Kisii- Kaplong, Kisii Nyamira, Egesa- Nyatieko, Suneka-Rangwe, and Nyamataro- Daraja Mbili roads, which are classified under the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA). The tarmacking of Egesa-Nyatieko road also under KeNHA is complete.
Majority of the roads, especially those in the Central Business District (CBD), have been in a bad shape, prompting Kisii County Governor James Ongwae to intervene and ensure they are rehabilitated, although they are not devolved.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to lead the country in marking the 57th Madaraka Day celebrations on June 1 this year from the Gusii Stadium.
Ongwae is optimistic the town will get a major infrastructural facelift before the end of next month, saying his administration is closely working with the national government to make it possible.
The county government has been working closely with KeRRA, KeNHA and KURA to fast-track ongoing construction of roads within the Kisii Municipality and across the county.
The governor had earlier raised concern over the slow pace on some ongoing road projects like Gudka- Christa Marriane.
Road users within Kisii, especially Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators and motorcycle riders, who in the past staged a demo against the government over the bad state of roads especially the Egesa-Nyatieko and Nyamataro-Daraja Moja roads, are now optimistic saying the good roads will reduce the number of accidents recorded in the area, improve accessibility, address traffic jams besides reducing transport costs.
The road connecting Daraja Mbili market through Kenya National Cereals Board to Kenya Power depot on Nyamataro- Daraja Moja road is also being upgraded to bitumen standards.
The municipal engineer, Haron Oyaro, also confirmed that routine maintenance of roads under Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) including the Kisii Stadium -Iterio, Barclays Bank - Kisii Hotel, Ram Hospital -Kisii Police Station - Hospital roundabout, HEMA Hospital- Jua Kali, is almost complete. The by-pass from Bobaracho-Menyinkwa to Itierio-Riamasagara is being rehabilitated.
“Under the Kisii bypass phase one, there is an impressive progress as the works along Nyanchwa section-Soko Mjinga. Tarmacking is ongoing around the stadium stretch while base works are complete along Gudka and the tarmacking is soon commencing,” said Eng. Oyaro on Saturday during a tour of the projects.
He added that access roads within the state lodge and the stadium are also underway, while routine maintenance of Christa-Marriane-Menyinkwa is almost complete.
There is work in progress on the box culvert at Kenonka on the road connecting Christa-Marriane -Kenonka-Nyanchwa camp centre, which is being tarmacked also under Kura.
Those under the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) include Menyinkwa Itierio whose patch and shoulder maintenance is ongoing and Getare-Kanyimbo-Nyatieko is being gravelled.
“We have a very strong and committed committee that draws a team of engineers from the National and County government chaired by the County Executive Committee (CEC) member in charge of Roads and Public Works Dr Walter Okibo, which has seen this development,” said Obuya.
In recent meetings, Kura Director General Eng Silas Kinot, his KeNHA and KeRRA counterparts Eng. Peter Mundinia, and Luka Kimeli respectively, expressed confidence that the ongoing projects will be completed before May 15.
“With a team of engineers, we have mobilised all our officers to ensure that the required road infrastructure is upgraded and maintained to the required standards in time,” they said.