Nyong'o sets aside Sh989 million to upgrade rural roads

Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o speaks at the opening of Kenya sanitation and governance conference in Kisumu. July 4, 2024. [File, Standard]

All rural roads in Kisumu County will be improved at a cost of Sh989 million in the next financial year, Governor Prof Anyang Nyong'o has said.

Nyong'o said he will ensure that all the feeder roads are well-improved and accessible to enable residents to reap maximum benefits from various development projects in the areas.

Most roads in the urban and slum areas of the city were upgraded in the last financial year, and the county has now turned its focus to feeder roads in rural areas.

Kisii undergoing face lift ahead of Madaraka on April 20, 2020. [File, Standard]

In his Madaraka Day message, Nyong'o stated that plans to embark on road refurbishment in all 35 wards in the county have been concluded, and key roads have been earmarked for upgrading. "The county government has concluded its budgeting cycle for this financial year and has prioritised many projects in all the sub-counties. Top of our agenda is fixing the poor infrastructure. We have mapped all the bad roads in the sub-counties and will soon start repairing them," said Nyong'o.

There has been an outcry from a section of residents, especially in the rural areas of Kisumu East, Seme, and Muhoroni, where feeder roads are impassable, forcing locals to struggle to access social amenities like health facilities and learning institutions for critical services.