Nyong'o demolishes more roadside kiosks as Kisumu prepares for 2021 Africities

KISUMU, KENYA: More than 50 roadside kiosks that dot Kisumu County have been demolished in the ongoing second phase beautification programme in the city ahead of the 2021 Africities meeting.

Spot check around the city on Wednesday found the County bulldozers pushing, digging, excavating, and levelling soil and debris at various work sites in the posh Mlimani, Mountain view, and Juakali zones.

According to acting Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga the repair of sidewalk ways, tarmacking, and repair of estate and city inroads is expected to be complete by end of this year.

''We want to make sure that we complete repair, tarmacking and grading of all major roads leading to and out of the city ahead of the 2021 Africities meeting by end of this year,'' Wanga told the Standard.

He spoke as governor Prof Anyang Nyong'o promised to fashion Kisumu City to model those of industrialized countries in the West as the county gears up for the 2021 Afri-cities summit.

The Africities event is expected to attract more than 10,000 people across Africa and the country.

''We want to improve on the aesthetic value of the city and to make sure that anybody who walks in the city streets does not walk on mud but paved cabros and tarmac, hence the cleanup,'' said Nyong'o.

The Africities Summit seeks to share strategies to improve the living conditions of local populations and to contribute to integration, peace, and unity of Africa from the grassroots.

The governor explained this is why they want to repair or tarmac all driveways, put new cabros in all walkways to the city that need to be graded to restore them to their peak look condition.

Currently, a round tour of Kisumu reveals road improvements and new road construction, especially in the Central Business District,(CBD), where thousands of traders have been moved out of the streets.

The county administration is also constructing a 10,000 unit small traders Centre complete with modern social amenities at the new Uhuru Business park.

President Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga last week toured the facility and were impressed by its architecture. The market is almost 85 per cent complete and will be opened by next year.

Already, Kisumu County has identified approximately 10,000 acres of land located in Miwani within Muhoroni Sub-County to set up the Special Economic Zone.

The SEZ is projected to address domestic private sector constraints such as the cost of energy, limited transport linkages, market access, and reduced bureaucracy.

According to governor Nyong'o, the availability of industrial and commercial land for the establishment of SEZ will help spur the Lakeside city's industrial growth.

''The SEZ will provide more land for small and large scale industrial development create jobs in skilled sectors and encouraging knowledge transfer to bolster growth,'' he said.