•Watoro Kamau a resident says the new status will greatly advantage Nakuru's profile to attract investors, tourism and conferencing.
•This will increase business and employment opportunities for residents.
Elevation of Nakuru to city status on Wednesday has been received with mixed reactions.
Some of the residents especially landowners, hoteliers and business entities have embraced the move as it will present massive infrastructural development.
However, hawkers, market traders and people living in informal settlements feel the new status would burden their already strained finances. They falsely believe they will be levied to develop the city.
Watoro Kamau a resident says the new status will greatly advantage Nakuru's profile to attract investors, tourism and conferencing.
This will increase business and employment opportunities for residents.
Kamau says infrastructural development will include the establishment of an airport, expanded sewerage system, improved road network and better water supply.
“When all these developments come up, residents will benefit. Some will supply bricks and sand for construction, others will be employed in the projects,” he said.
Kamau said through President Uhuru Kenyatta’s promise, the government will sink 50 boreholes to curb water shortage in the city.
“Just like Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, Nakuru will benefit greatly from the State Department Department of Urban Planning and Development whose mandate is to build capacity and coordinate construction of new infrastructure,” he said.
Kamau said besides financing projects the national government would enhance technical assistance and create a better environment for economic growth for a county whose GDP was number three countrywide.
On claims that land rates would rise, he said residents required civic education on how rates are determined because the charges are as per the value of the subject piece of land.
Grace Wairimu a fruit vendor said she was optimistic of better times with the construction of the ultra-modern produce market and new matatu termini.
“My prayer is that the county government will consider relocating traders whose businesses were affected by the relocation of Public Service Vehicles first,” she said,
Peter Kiiru, a landlord in Mawanga said the expansion of the sewerage system will benefit many private developers because they were spending huge sums of money building their own.
“Some of the landlords here have spent up to Sh300,000 on individual sewerage and water reserve,” he said.
Kiiru said Ndege Ndimu residents will benefit from the upcoming Nakuru Airport under construction.
The will be increased land value and roads.
“Visitors cannot be using dusty roads to the city so the area's road network has to be improved,” he said.
James Michoma, a physical planning expert said the former municipality town will be re-planned to resolve the perennial problem of congestion especially in the central business district and main streets.
He said cities have extensive systems for housing, transport, water and sanitation, street lighting, proper drainage systems, transport, health services, land use and communication.
Earlier in the years, and preparation for the upgrade, Housing and Urban Development department launched a Public-Private Partnership in providing affordable housing for the middle and low-income class in Nakuru.
The project in Nakuru’s Bondeni Estate stands on a 7.75-acre piece of land where the 605 units will be constructed under the Affordable Housing Program.
Alice Kimani says Nakuru was not ready for the upgrade and fears that rent and cost of basic goods will be hiked.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris