• Beautification is part of the non-motorised transport project.
• Nyong'o said business people have adopted roundabouts for beautification.
Governor Anyang' Nyong’o has launched Sh15 million beautification of Oginga Odinga Street in Kisumu City.
The project will cover roundabouts and include an upgrade of open places and parks, urban afforestation and streets capping. It is part of the ongoing non-motorised transport programme.
Beautification and cleaning chairman Lalji Karsan said on Wednesday they are keen on transforming the city. The county government has partnered with the corporate sector players, including Toyota Kenya, to ensure the success of the drive.
Nyong'o said business people have adopted specific roundabouts for beautification. He said his administration is committed to making Kisumu a walking city for a healthy lifestyle.
“We want Kisumu to be very clean and conducive to investment to spur the region’s economy,” he said. He spoke during the launch.
Also present were governors Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega) and James Ongwae (Kisii), and deputy governors Philip Kutima (Kakamega) and Susan Kikwai (Kericho).
Ongwae and Oparanya lauded Nyong’o for the ongoing transformation of the city. They said projects being implemented are in line with the much-needed development ahead of Africities Summit in April next year.
Last week, Nyong’o also launched a sustainable mobility plan to promote an equitable and convenient transport system.
The 10-year plan developed in partnership with the Institute for Transport and Development Policy and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) also seeks to decongest the city, which is the third-largest in the country.
Already, the Sh241 million non-motorised transport project, known as the Triangle, nears completion. Currently, motorists are not allowed to park along the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Triangle. They park on the backstreets.
Acting city manager Abala Wanga said they have partnered with the corporate sector to transform all the roundabouts through enhanced urban aesthetics.
Under the 12-month transformative initiative, Wanga said they are committed to greening and beautifying the highway corridor from Kisian to Nyamasaria.
“Our vision is to make Kisumu beautiful and a little Singapore. We are optimistic to achieve the objective,” he said.
More than 15 roundabouts are earmarked for beautification. They are Oginga Odinga, Oginga Odinga-Ang'awa, Oginga Odinga-Jomo Kenyatta Highway, Airport, Nyanza Golf Clun, Kondele, Patel Flats roundabout, Aga Khan, Kachok and Kisumu Boys.
Others are Okore-Nzoia, Mamboleo junction, Coptic Kakamega highway, Kona Mbaya and Ramogi Institue.
Under the greening initiative, they target to plant 10 million trees to develop eco-friendly urban green spaces and road canopies. Wanga said they are mobilising the business sector, residents and other government agencies to take part in planting and growing trees, shrubs and flowers.
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Triangle had been demarcated for the rollout of the project. Vehicles dropping off passengers will only be allowed five minutes.
All passenger buses have been banned from the central business district, with firm instruction to vacate by March 30 to help decongest the city.
Trucks, he added, have also been banned from the CBD save for those ferrying fuel and goods, which, however, must be authorised by city management before gaining entry. Truckers who flout this regulation are liable to a fine of Sh7,000.