A two-week power outage in Masalani town and the larger Ijara Constituency in general following flooding by the River Tana has led to a deterioration of service delivery by national and county government departments.
According to Masalani Town Community Leader Abdullahi Abdi, the water sector, health, education, security, and business enterprises have been affected, especially vegetable and milk vendors, cyber cafes, garages, and three petrol stations within Masalani town.
The vegetable and milk vendors have lost business since their produce cannot be refrigerated due to lack of power.
Adan Ali, the Board Chairman of Masalani Sub-County Referral Hospital, said services are paralysed since various health sectors, such as laboratory services and maternity, cannot function, forcing medical staff to refer patients to Garissa County Referral Hospital.
Alternatively, said Ali, the sick opt to visit private clinics within Masalani town or private pharmacies and chemists where they obtain over-the-counter medication.
Mrs. Furaha Abdullahi, who runs a cosmetic shop in Masalani town, said several weddings which were to take place had been suspended due to lack of electricity at barber shops and beauty and cosmetics shops to render beauty services to the bride and the bride groom, and their attendants before the wedding ceremony.
Additionally, some 600 students at Yusuff Haji Girls’ Secondary School have been unable to attend night studies and spend the night in dark dormitories without power, risking the girls’ security.
The residents appealed to Ijara MP Abdi Ali Sheikhow and Garissa County Governor Nadhif Jama to come to the aid of the institution and buy a standby generator to ensure power supply in case of a power blackout, just like in the case of Shurie Secondary School, Hulugho Girls’ School, and Ijara Boys’s School, which have standby generators.
The Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Abdimalik Ibrahim, appealed to the county government to hasten and buy a standby generator for the Masalani Sub-county Referral Hospital to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.
Similarly, Ijara Sub-County Water Coordinator, Mr. Noor Mohamed Abdi, called on the County government to provide a generator at the water intake in order to pump water to Masalani town, the Sub-County Referral Hospital.
Contacted for a comment, the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) Officer in Charge of Masalani Silas Limo, said the road between Boji to Masalani bridge had been cut off and three electric plots have gone down, forcing them to switch off the power as the conductors of power poles had been destroyed.
Mr. Limo appealed to the customers to be patient, as KPLC engineers are working round the clock to rectify the situation despite the road being muddy and the heavy poles.
He said they have to use a crane to move the power poles, but no vehicle can maneuver the muddy water as the river has burst its bank towards the Eastern side of Tana River County.
He said they are waiting for a support team from Malindi who will assist them in reconnecting the power to the town.
Meanwhile, residents have resorted to using torches at night and solar energy panels from Delight Solar Company, while financially capable businesses have bought backup generators, especially petrol stations in Masalani town.
By Mohamed Dahir
