Scarcity of rental houses hits Trans-Nzoia County, affects service delivery

Lack of houses to accommodate public officers in Trans-Nzoia County is hindering service delivery.

A spot check by the Standard revealed that county and national government officials posted to work at sub-county headquarters operate from Kitale town due to lack of accommodation.

Senior officers serving in provincial administration and National Police Service (NPS) working at Endebess, Kwanza, Saboti, Cherangany, and Kiminini sub-counties operate from Kitale.

Some of the officers used government vehicles to report to their stations from Kitale while others use public means daily, which is costly.

Some officers interviewed by the Standard admitted that lack of good houses at sub-county headquarters is a serious problem.

"Most of us operate from Kitale because there are no houses to accommodate us and our families. This is a serious problem that needs to be fixed,’’ said a senior police officer stationed at one of the sub-county headquarters.

The officers are reportedly spending a lot of money to commute from Kitale to their work stations.

"I spend Sh400 daily to report to work from Kitale and back. This is a lot of money and drains my salary,’’ one of the affected officers lamented.

"The issue of housing is compromising service delivery to the public. It is difficult to attend to an urgent matter at night because of the distance. There is a need for residents in these sub-county headquarters to invest in housing,’’ argued the officer.

County Commissioner Sam Ojwang acknowledged that accommodation is a challenge to public officers in the county and urged for investment in housing.

"It is true our officers are facing challenges due to lack of accommodation. Take for example Saboti, the deputy county commissioner operate from Kitale and it is a waste of public resources to fuel a vehicle to take him to work and back,’’ said Ojwang.

He said residents have failed to capitalise on the opportunity to earn income from rental housing.

"I have always told residents to invest in housing. There is no accommodation in Kiminini, Saboti and Kwanza sub-county headquarters,’’ said Ojwang.