County orders buildings in Nakuru town to be repainted
A section of Nakuru Town on July 30, 2018. Governor Lee Kinyanjui's administration has directed that owners of buildings in the town repaint them and ensure they are well maintained as part of an ongoing beautification project. PHOTO | ERIC MATARA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Owners of buildings are required to ensure they are well maintained and that pedestrian walkways are improved.
- Taxi drivers will also be required to ensure their vehicles have a uniform colour and operate only from designated places.
- In 2011, Nakuru was named the cleanest town in East Africa by a United Nations agency.
Owners of buildings in Nakuru Town have been given 30 days to repaint them and ensure they are well maintained as part of an ongoing beautification project.
The directive comes as the town seeks to acquire a city status.
In a statement released on Monday, the Nakuru County government announced that it had issued a 30 days’ notice that will expire on August 31, 2018 for town buildings to be repainted order to improve their aesthetic value.
According to the statement, owners of buildings are required to ensure they are well maintained and that pedestrian walkways are improved.
GARBAGE DISPOSAL
They are also required to install proper garbage disposal mechanisms, ensure drainage systems around their buildings comply with the Public Health Act and that rain water gutters are fixed to enhance water harvesting.
The notice signed by County Secretary Benjamin Njoroge also requires all car wash businesses on road reserves to be relocated to formally designated areas in one year.
Taxi drivers will also be required to ensure their vehicles have a uniform colour and operate only from designated places.
OBSERVE BY-LAWS
The directive could also see structures especially within the town’s central business district brought down to pave way for modern buildings.
“All developers must adhere to by-laws related to design of certain buildings,” the notice said.
The town has been earmarked as one of those to be elevated to city status after the Urban Areas and Cities Amendment Bill got the Cabinet’s nod last September, paving way for the creation of two new cities in Kenya.
The other towns that are set to benefit from the elevation include Nakuru and Eldoret.
Nakuru and Eldoret towns are considered the third and fourth largest urban centres in the country respectively after Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
The draft law to allow elevation is in Parliament for scrutiny and further approval.
Nakuru acquired township status in 1904 and became a municipality in 1952.
CLEANEST TOWN
In 2011, Nakuru was named the cleanest town in East Africa by a United Nations agency.
Governor Lee Kinyanjui has an ambitious plan to upgrade roads within the town in a bid to have Nakuru town elevated into a city.
Key roads that are targeted for the upgrade include those that serve Menengai and Milimani estates, those leading to the Nakuru GK Prison, London estate and part of the western side of the town.
They also link Industrial Area, Kaptembwa, Bondeni, Naka, Free Area and Mwariki estates in the eastern part of the town.
