Wild bushes steal beauty of Nyandarua government offices

The Nyandarua County commissioner’s compound is in a mess.

In the compound are national and county government offices.

But while one is invited by some well-tended flowers and vegetation, uncovered drainage, with two flag masts at the entrance, that is not the case when one moves further into the compound.

BUSHY COMPOUND

The mess starts at the parking bay, running throughout the compound where heavy bushy weeds block visibility of the office blocks.

Police officers guarding the compound complain that the bushes are breeding dens for mosquitoes and also a security risk.

The officers complain that apart from cleaners working in the beautifully kept offices, the government has no garden workers to clear the bushes.

Some offices, including the building that house the county police commander is not visible from the adjacent Nyandarua County government headquarters.

Also not visible from the same point is the Huduma Centre building located opposite the county commissioner’s office block.

INVISIBLE

The ground floor of the building housing the county commissioner’s is completely invisible from the same point and also from the adjacent court and lands offices which are under construction.

But the worst hit is the children’s and gender offices located at the heart of the compound, whose view is almost completely blocked by the bushes that have also consumed the pathways.

Equally consumed by the long weeds is a pathway connecting the county commissioner’s offices to the county government headquarters, forcing pedestrians to walk for nearly a kilometre around the compound to access the offices.

SECURITY THREAT

Police officers guarding the premises at night say the bushes are a security threat, recalling that the compound was sometimes back raided by criminals who stole computers from one of the offices.

“They should consider clearing the bushes. One can easily be ambushed by criminals while patrolling the compound at night. It's not possible to spot someone walking in the bushes,” said a police officer.

The compound houses the commissioner, his deputy, county director of education, county commissioner’s boardroom, senior Administration Police offices and offices of the National Treasury.

Opposite the commissioner's office block is the Huduma Centre building hosting the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) among other national government departments.

There is also the unused Ol Kalou Constituency office block which was officially opened by Deputy President William Ruto.

PROCUREMENT

Ol Kalou Children's Officer Mary Gitonga blamed the mess on cumbersome government procurement procedures.

She said the request for funds to clear the bush should be made by the county director of children welfare. The request is then signed by the county commissioner for submission to the National Treasury for funding.

But the children welfare director has been out of office, Ms Gitonga said.

Contacted, Nyandarua County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich said he has ordered that the compound be cleared.

He also attributed the current mess to the landscape, saying it is waterlogged, making it inaccessible to cleaners.

"The situation is worsened by the ongoing rains and the terrain. We do not have casual workers but I have directed someone to have the bushes cleared," said Mr Cherutich.