Residents of Lwanda Village in Nyatike Constituency Migori County are a happy lot after the laying of the first ever tarmac road in the area.
The first state-sponsored tarmac road running from Masara-Macalder-Lwanda-Sori to Agolomuok was initiated one year ago and by late this month it reached Lwanda area sending the locals to unbelievable state.
“The joy displayed by our people here cannot be hidden since this is a project that nobody believed would ever be implemented by the Jubilee-Government owing to the past political stands that made the whole of Luo Nyanza alienated from the National Cake,” said former local civic leader Peter Onyango.
Onyango said Nyatike, and particularly the lower part of the area bordering Lake Victoria, has never had a paved road since Kenya’s independence 57 years ago, adding that the road would be a big investment trigger to the region.
The 42 km road being done at a cost of Sh1.52 billion will be completed early June next year.
When completed, the road will obviously trigger increased trade in a region hitherto boxed into poverty lull due to the bad roads that always became impassable during rainy periods completely cutting off access to markets especially to farmers.
True to the expectations of the people in Nyatike Sub County where the road traverses the breadth and width of the sun-scotched land, most trading centres along the stretch of the new road have started becoming busy 24/7, among them Nyakweri Market.
It will come handy in boosting trade in Minerals especially gold as well as making easy transportation of fish from the numerous landing points along the Lake Victoria beaches to the markets outside Nyatike.
Masara town that lies squarely along the stretch of the road is expected to be a gold hub market and for many years had dragged in growth due to its inaccessibility, courtesy of the, muddy earth road linking it with Migori and the world outside Migori
Those privy to former conditions of the road can recollect how motorists used to take two hours to go through craters and mud to cover the stretch of earth road between Karungu and Migori.
But speaking to KNA yesterday, the visibly joyous residents said the new all-weather road will also improve accessibility to the world heritage site –Thim Lich Ohinga to the benefit of the local economy.
The road is also expected to make the value of land within the region appreciate fast with the improved road network, said Mr. Erick Otieno, a resident of the area.
“We also had big problems ferrying a fish to markets within and outside this region because of the bad roads around,” Otieno explained, adding that the new road will also be handy in making farm produce reach markets in time.
By George Agimba
