Six informal settlements in Kisumu are earmarked for a major facelift after the county received Sh1.3 billion grants from the World Bank and French Development Agency (AFD).
The funds channelled through the second phase of Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP 2), target to improve road network in the areas and enhance access to clean piped water.
Other interventions include drainage works, installation of high mast flood lights and last mile connectivity to the sewerage system.
Kisumu County KISIP 2 Coordinator Tom Mboya said a total of 14 roads were set to be upgraded to bitumen standards in Bandani, Manyatta A, Manyatta B, Kibuye and Muhoroni to open up the informal settlements and enhance connectivity.
The works, he added, come with proper drainage systems, street lighting and high mast flood lights which are set to be installed at Migosi and Nyawita to enhance security and promote businesses.
Mboya said the construction of Lot 1 which covers Bandani, Manyatta A, Manyatta B Migosi and Nyawita kicked off on January 18, 2024 was expected to be concluded by January 18, 2025 with the contractor given one more year to check and rectify any defects.
Lot 2 which covers Muhoroni and Kibuye, he said, was experiencing delays due to legislative issues at national and county levels but expressed optimism that the works would soon begin as scheduled.
“This is a five-year project which was supposed to kick off in 2020 but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are therefore three years late, that is why the contractors have one year to complete the works and another year to check and rectify defects,” he said.
He said the project was set to change the landscape of the informal settlements and impact positively on health outcomes with the improved access to clean piped water.
The enhanced connectivity will not only boost security but also see the value of land and property in the informal settlements go up, he added.
The coordinator said over 600 youths from the informal settlements were set to secure casual jobs through the project, further lowering cases of crime in the informal settlements.
“We have very high unemployment levels in the areas where this project is being implemented. Therefore, a good number of them are going to be absorbed directly and indirectly as we roll out the works,” he said.
The project, he added, was being implemented in close collaboration with members of the community through Settlement Executive Committees (SEC) to ensure that all their needs and aspirations are captured.
Speaking at Bandani during the inspection of ongoing works, Mboya said the contractors would be supervised on a monthly basis by teams from the national government, county government, consulting engineers for the project and the World Bank to ensure they delivered top notch work.
Project Consulting Engineer Michael Ogola said the community was involved in the design and packaging of the projects being implemented adding that through the SEC, any grievances along the way shall be addressed.
At Bandani slums, site clearance for the 1.3 km Auji-Pundo road has been completed and the contractor is working on top soil stripping.
The contractor is expected to do another 300 meters stretch from Pundo to Nita thus linking the informal settlement to the Busia-Kisumu Highway.
George Odhiambo, a resident of Bandani said for many years, the informal settlement opposite Kisumu International Airport has been delinked from the rest of Kisumu City due to lack of roads.
The road which is being done to bitumen standard will connect the slum to Kisumu City Central Business District thus opening up the area for development, he said.
Installation of security lights was another milestone aimed at ensuring security and at the same time allowing traders to sell their wares past 7pm.
Security officers, he added, would be able to patrol easily and at the same time all emergency response efforts which have in the past been hampered by poor road network in the area would be properly coordinated.
In Manyatta A where four roads are being constructed, SEC Chairman Paul Okech said the community has embraced the project by giving way leaves and the necessary support to ensure it is implemented fully.
The roads, he said, will not only enhance access but also boost security in the area which has continued to be on the radar of security agencies due to crime.
“We welcome this project because of the immense benefits it’s going to bring. The movement of people and vehicles is going to be seamless thus promoting business and security,” he said.
Beline Akoth, one of the residents employed on Mosque-Kona Mbuta road in Manyatta A, said the project has created employment opportunities for the youth in the area.
“We work for six days a week with payment made to us every Saturday. I am now able to buy food and pay rent and school fees for my child,” she said.
By Chris Mahandara
