CS Waiguru tours Kibra, launches road construction

Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru, has pledged to upgrade the Kibera slums in between three and six months.

The exercise entails the rehabilitation and construction of sanitary facilities to improve the living condition of the people of Kibera.

“We plan to construct at least 20 new toilets and rehabilitate the old and dilapidated ones to facilitate their connection to the main sewer line contrary to the current state where raw sewage is flowing on surface drainage systems,” Ms Waiguru said.

She was speaking on Thursday when she presided over the launch of the construction of a road in the slums, barely a fortnight after President Uhuru Kenyatta unveiled the upgrading programme. The road will link the slum to Mbagathi Way.

She said the project, which will be implemented by the National Youth Service (NYS) in partnership with the Kibra community, will be supervised by officials from the National Construction Authority to ensure that quality standards are met.

STREET LIGHTING

Waiguru who toured some of the ongoing projects since the launch of the clean up and up grading exercise, said plans are in place to put up street lighting along the alleys in the slum by the end of the exercise.

She said similar programmes would be rolled out in other informal settlements in the city, and other major urban centres across the country.

The Cabinet Secretary, accompanied by NYS Director General Nelson Githinji, said the Government is keen to establish a public-private partnership to implement a progressive model, which posted impressive results during the pilot phase in Turkana and Kitui counties.

She said the increase in the NYS intake to more than 20,000 was instrumental in extending the model to remote and arid locations where plans are under way to construct dams and water pans for the communities living in arid and semi-arid areas.