Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) held public participation to sensitise Malaba residents on the consequences of encroachment, building along road reserves, and littering.
Engineer Joyce Kosgei said that they will remain vigilant to ensure all structures constructed on road reserves will be demolished to improve drainage and ease traffic snarl-up along the Eldoret-Malaba highway.
“Protection of road reserves and building along road reserves is also illegal, and perpetrators could face heavy fines,” she said.
She added, “Before you construct any structure on road reserves, it’s vital to visit KeNHA or County Government offices to avoid wastage of resources. Digging in road reserves will also not be tolerated.”
Ms. Kosgei said vandalism of road signs has also escalated, thus endangering motorists who use the busy Corridor “B” road that links Nairobi-Rironi and the Malaba Border.
Kosgei noted that littering is another impediment to KeNHA’s resolve to meet its agenda, blaming Busia County staff for leaving litter near drainage sites.
Eng. Kosgei said the Traffic Act bars people from parking on road shoulders along the main carriageway for more than 1-2 hours, with the culprits to face a fine of Sh30,000 or one-year imprisonment.
Eng. Akuku Tillen said anybody who wishes to lease their land or obtain a title near road reserves should seek a surveyor’s map from the County Government, adding that Kenya Power also needs wayleave approval from the county government.
The engineer noted that it was illegal to engage in activities within road reserves. He lauded the county government for seeking permission from the highway authority to expand the Kocholia culvert.
Akuku said vandalism of signs was a nationwide phenomenon. He sighted a case between 2019/2020 between Malaba/ Webuye Road when all installed signs were vandalised in a spate of one month.
He told the Municipality Board to enforce the law to make it mandatory for hawkers doing business along the busy highway to always wear reflectors to ensure their safety from the long-distance truck drivers.
Chief Officer in the county government of Busia in charge of Urban Development and Physical Planning, Ken Mbaja, regretted that the Bungoma-Malaba road was very narrow, which calls for urgent expansion.
He noted that the reorganisation of Malaba town was painful and told Municipality Manager Francis Asoyong to act fast and remove illegal structures within the border town after holding public participation and constructing modern kiosks.
“Tough laws are required to reorganise the town, including the road, sewer, and drainage. He urged KeNHA to expedite the culverts’ approval from private developers instead of the current trend where approval takes 3–4 months,” he said.
Municipality Manager Francis Asoyong said the county government has acquired an investor to construct a trailer park with Sh100 million set aside for the purchase of land.
Asoyong said littering challenges in the Municipality will be a thing of the past as they will budget for the purchase of two tractors to carry litter to the dumping site on a daily basis, unlike the current trend when litter was ferried on a weekly basis with a tractor from Busia.
The manager said they have entered into an agreement with a contractor to construct the trailer park to expand the box culvert at ACK.
Businessman Dominic Kihara said trailers should be allowed to stop for at least 10 minutes to buy goods that would spur the economy of the border town, adding that darkness is a great concern with no street lights.
By Absalom Namwalo
