Row over Kisumu County’s unfinished town upgrade projects

A section of the Nyalenda slum, which was to be upgraded. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The Kisumu County government has been criticised for its failure to fully implement a Sh4 billion town upgrade project intended to transform the town’s sprawling slums into middle-class neighbourhoods.
  • Governor Jack Ranguma is on the spot for poor implementation of the projects, which also included remodelling the markets within the town’s centre.
  • The slum upgrade project intended to increase the housing units in the slums from the current 15 per hectare to 17 to accommodate more people.

The Kisumu County government has been criticised for its failure to fully implement a Sh4 billion town upgrade project intended to transform the town’s sprawling slums into middle-class neighbourhoods.

Just weeks to the end of his term, Governor Jack Ranguma is on the spot for poor implementation of the projects, which also included remodelling the markets within the town’s centre.

The developments, which were part of the Kisumu Urban Project (KUP) funded by the French government to the tune of Euros 40 million (Sh4.8 billion), sought to open up more land in the Nyalenda Obunga, Bandani and Kaloleni slums for investment, as well as improve the city’s infrastructure.

“THE BUCK STOPS WITH THE GOVERNOR...”

However, some leaders and residents say none of these projects has been completed, attributing the failure to lack of a management board to oversee the implementation.

Among the projects they say have been abandoned is the construction of roads leading to the slums, the rehabilitation of markets, and the relocation of the Kachok Dumpsite.

“The buck stops with the governor, who is yet to constitute a board. The lack of a board has greatly hampered the implementation of the KUP. We should have allowed KUP to be independent, and therefore, more efficient,” said Kisumu East MP and former mayor Shakeel Shabbir.

Meanwhile, the Kisumu Residents’ Voice Association Chairman, Mr Audi Ogada, accused the governor of misplaced priorities and a deliberate effort to frustrate the projects.

“The governor must take the lion’s share of the blame for the collapse of the projects. In my estimation, only about two per cent of projects have been completed,” Mr Ogada said.

The slum upgrade project intended to increase the housing units in the slums from the current 15 per hectare to 17 to accommodate more people. The slum residents were to be asked to lease their land to the county government for the construction of houses to be rented out to the public.

CO-OWNERSHIP FOR LANDOWNERS

To ensure that land owners did not lose in the process, they would be offered a percentage of co-ownership of the properties as stipulated in the country’s change-of-tenure policy, in consultation with the National Land Commission.

Funds had been allocated for the renovation of the Kibuye (Sh350 million) Otonglo (Sh170 million) and Jubilee (Sh270 million) markets, while Sh800 million had been allocated for the relocation of the Kachok Dumpsite, former city manager Doris Ombara says.

When contacted, acting county secretary Dr Ojwang’ Lusi defended Governor Ranguma, saying the constitution of the board was on course.

“The process was going on well until somebody went to court to challenge it. But once the case is dispensed with, we will continue,” said Mr Lusi.

However, a number of schools have been upgraded.