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Kisii Town Gone To The Dogs

Details

Published on Tuesday, 10 May 2011 00:44

Kisii is a town in crisis. That’s how one can best describe the current state of the undisputed business hub of Nyanza South and designated headquarters of Kisii County.

During his tenure as minister for Local Government, nominated MP Musikari Kombo described the town as a big dumpsite and a huge open air market.

He predicted during his 2007 tour that the town will be a ghost town in 10 years and his word may come to pass if a major intervention is not put in place. The town’s master plan expired in 1971. However, a new master plan is being put in place with the help of UN Habitat.

From tattered roads, garbage strewn all over, inadequate water supply and sewage facilities, congestion, open manholes to incessant wrangles between councillors, chief officers and workers, Kisii is a town crying for help.

The town does not have a cemetery and its dumpsite is located near a river. Recommendations have been made that the dumpsite be relocated but there is no alternative land for the dumpsite and cemetery.

Walking or driving in the town is a nightmare due to congestion from boda boda and matatu operators. However, several roads have been opened up in the outskirts of the town to ease congestion.

Some roads build in the town recently have already worn out due to poor workmanship while heavy commercial vehicles which are not permitted to pass on the roads use the roads with impunity.

The council resolved that the boda bodas park at designated areas outside town but they protested for two days and were allowed back in town while matatus drop and pick up passengers in the middle of the town.

Hawkers sell their wares in the middle of the town even in front of banking institutions oblivious of the danger they are exposing themselves to.

Chief officers are to blame for failing to implement council resolutions to keep hawkers, boda boda and matatu operators away from the central business district, according to mayor Sam Nyangeso. “We passed these resolutions and the chief officers who are policy implementers have failed to execute the same. It is not the work of the councillors to implement council resolutions and by-laws,” adds Nyangeso.

On the cemetery and dumpsite, Nyangeso adds that the council is in talks with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute to transfer some land for the cemetery and dumpsite. “We need land for the cemetery and dumping site urgently,” admits Mayor Nyangeso.

Public Health Officer Francis Makau has sued the council for failure to provide alternative site for a cemetery after he closed the existing one because it’s full.

 Kisii District Environment Officer Samson Bokea wants the council to relocate the dumping site from near the Kisii Level Five Hospital. “The open dumpsite is a disaster in waiting and should be relocated because it attracts birds, flies and rats. The council should also start sorting the solid waste,” he added.

 The Parliamentary Committee on Local Authorities recently threatened to have the council dissolved due to relentless wrangles and corruption allegations. “We have powers to recommend that the council is dissolved because you don’t care about service delivery. A commission should run this town which has a lot of potential,” said the vice chairman Benjamin Lang’at.

Town Clerk Jim Maina Chira told the committee that administering the council has been made difficult because most workers are related to serving and former councillors. “You cannot take disciplinary action against some workers because they are related to current and former councillors. The moment you do it, they start fighting back,” Chira told the Parliamentary Committee on Local Authorities. Several cases of alleged land grabbing by councillors have also elicited a hue and cry from the affected residents.

During a recent Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission mobile clinic in Kisii town, civic leaders, council officials and ministry of Lands officials were on the receiving end over massive land grabbing.

Sophia Moraa, a widow, claimed that a serving civic leader colluded with council officers and allocated her land to the councillor’s wife. The land was later sold.

KACC Advisory Board Chairman Okong’o O’Mogeni and deputy director Jane Onsongo said most of the complaints they received were related to land grabbing. “Over 80 per cent of the complaints we have received are on land grabbing and the rest about Constituency Development Fund. Corruption is deeply rooted in Kisii and we must uproot it,” said Onsongo.

O’Mogeni added, “We have numerous corruption complaints from here and most of them are on shady land dealings. We have already prosecuted some people who had grabbed public land and I want to assure you that the reports you give us will be acted upon.”

The chairman said the commission was working closely with the ministry of Lands to recover grabbed public land. Mayor Nyangeso admitted separately that land grabbing was rife at the council and petitioned KACC to investigate. “I have received hundreds of complaints over land grabbing in this town and the worst affected are widows and orphans. Sadly I have learnt that my councillors and council workers are involved,” he told the Star.

Council workers downed tools last year citing a myriad of grievances leading to 12 of them being suspended. Some workers including KLWU Kisii branch chairman Simon Mokandu and Secretary Thomas Gwaro were later sacked.

Due to the strike, the council lost about Sh6 million, according to Treasurer Albert Sese. The workers later called off the strike after auditors were sent to the council to probe the council books.

An interim audit report revealed massive malpractices at the council. However, chief officers were expected to reply to the allegations. Mayor Nyangeso was accused by a section of councillors of inciting the workers to go on strike, claims he dismissed as baseless and wondered why the councillors were defending chief officers whom they had earlier wanted probed.

Some of the workers complaints include failure by the council to provide uniforms, protective clothing, washing materials, gloves, brooms and other working materials.

They are also complaining about the failure by the council to pay statutory bodies Sh200 million in unremitted debts even after the council deducted the same from their salaries. The workers also complained of harassment and victimisation by chief officers, a public officer and councillors. They also demanded that workers injured in the line of duty be compensated.

Chira said quotations for the supply of uniforms and other necessities have already been invited and were expected to be available by the end of April.

On the statutory contributions, Chira said they had entered into talks with Co-operative Bank to help the council clear the outstanding debts. He said cases of harassment had not been brought to his attention and asked the affected workers to report to him. The workers are demanding an extensive audit of the council finances, citing massive corruption.

In a letter to the minister for Local Government Musalia Mudavadi, the workers complained of ‘high level corruption and embezzlement of funds’ at the municipality..  “We are requesting you to send auditors to probe the council’s books of account for the last two years,” read part of the letter signed by the Kenya Local Government Workers Union secretary Thomas Gwaro.

The workers want the council’s income and expenditure audited saying the council had been turned into a cash cow by some officials. Gwaro said in his letter that the council accounts have not been audited from January 2009 to July 2010. The council is being investigated over alleged misuse of Sh25million Kazi Kwa Vijana funds.

Already, Chira, Engineer William Wanyonyi and Treasurer Sese, district youth officer Sam Owino and district development officer Job Otiwa have recorded statements with the CID.

All councilors have also recorded statements with CID. The probe was instituted after civic leaders led by Alloys Moseti wrote to the Prime Minister Raila Odinga demanding a probe. Puzzlingly, the civic leaders led by Moseti are now defending the same officers they wanted investigated.