Traders and residents of Murang’a town have decried poor drainage and delay in collection of garbage.
The residents fear that the dirty environment is putting their lives at risk demanding the relevant department of the county government to fast track garbage collection.
Some traders at Mukuyu open market told KNA that they were forced to pay some people to clean for them yet they pay taxes for the services.
Mukuyu market is popular for selling of fresh produce with the traders saying dirty environment if affecting their business.
Two of the traders, Peris Wambui and John Muigai said they have been suffering for long time demanding the county government to take urgent action.
“Each day before I open my business I have to make sure I clean the area surrounding my business or else customers will keep off due to uncollected litter,” said Muigai.
The traders further said that during the rainy season they suffer a lot due to poor drainage which is normally blocked with unattended sewer manholes worsening the situation.
According to the traders, the county government has more than 70 cleaners in the town yet there is so little to show when it comes to service delivery.
“If the cleaners were well assigned in the town, we could not be having such environmental problems,” added Muigai.
“I always pay a daily tax of Sh. 20 and I don’t see the importance of paying that amount of money,” decried Wambui.
A spot check at Mukuyu market revealed heaps and heaps of stinking garbage have piled around the market perimeter wall, with traders claiming that collection is done weekly when the designated dumping areas are full to the brim and overflowing.
When reached for comment, the Murang’a Town Administrator, Mr. Jeremiah Mwangi, lamented on the rapid growth of Mukuyu Town and lack of enough garbage trucks for the menace was the cause of the garbage collection backlog.
He said that some of the trucks were faulty and out of service assuring the residents of Murang’a that plans to acquire new and modern garbage trucks were underway.
On poor drainage and collapsed sewer manholes in Murang’a town, he stated that plans are underway to do a complete overhaul of the current ones and construct new ones that will withstand heavy rains that were the cause of the damage.
By KNA Team
