Residents of Usire sub location west Sakwa ward in Bondo Sub County have decried the poor state of Maranda-Oseno-River Yala road that has made their mobility in and out of the sub location difficult.
Led by Martha Ochieng the residents say the road has never been graded and refurbished despite having prioritized it the last two consecutive financial years.
Ochieng said that the residents have therefore resorted to repairing the impassable roads by themselves because their cries to their elected leaders have fallen on deaf ears.
She revealed that in the financial year 2018/19 during a public participation, they prioritized the grading of Maranda-Oseno road which included construction of three culverts but it was only graded but no culverts were constructed leading to damaging of the road during rainy season.
Ochieng added that in the following financial year 2019/20 the same road was prioritized with additional culverts but nothing was done making the road totally impassable during rains.
She said the poor state of the road has not only increased rate of accidents but has also interfered with their daily lives because of the impassible road.
“Our MCA whom we elected to represent us has failed to do his duty and has never come to hear our cries. Our children can no longer access Oseno secondary school and both men and women have been injured on motorbike using this road. Recently a church service was called off after a senior pastor fell and dislocated his leg on a Sunday morning while walking to church through the same road,” Ochieng said
A resident, Samuel Okong’o Nyamwanda, disclosed that they have tried to reach area MCA Maurice Aringo whom they accused of being evasive and keeps directing them to ask the executive about the road.
When contacted to respond on the matter, MCA Aringo stated that he was aware that the road is in a bad state especially with the ongoing heavy rains.
Aringo said that the road was last graded in 2018 but dismissed claims that the road was prioritized by the residents during public participation.
He explained that the sub location instead prioritized Oseno water project where the entire Sh. 3 million sub location development budget was allocated in the 2019/20 financial year.
The MCA disclosed that during the current financial year 2020/21 the residents again prioritized other roads within the sub location leaving out Maranda-Oseno road.
“The only money we use to grade and open roads within the ward is the ward development fund and we only use it on projects which have been prioritized by the residents” Aringo said.
He stated that he is aware of the poor state of the road and will push for it to be prioritized during the next budgeting cycle.
By Brian Ondeng’
