Voi residents vow to repair road after neglect by gov’t

Residents of three villages in Sagala area, Voi County have lamented on the poor state of roads in the area.

The villagers from Kishamba, Jishumanzi and Mghange villages have now taken it upon themselves to construct roads in the area after what they claim as neglect by the county and national governments since the last General Election.

The residents have been collecting funds from well-wishers and community members to assist in building roads, schools and providing water to the community.

In addition to this, the residents are engaging the help of their children who are away in cities and towns and are professionals in certain fields to offer their services and funds to help revive stalled projects in the area.

Speaking on Sunday at Sagala village where they had met to strategise on the amount of money needed for the project and how to complete the repairs, the residents said they decided to undertake the project themselves since they had suffered for too long.

“We have decided to do this project simply because we have suffered for too long. We were told that Sh384,000 was put aside for bush clearing but that has not helped us in any way,” said Jibran Mwamsennge, a resident in the area.

“Whenever we ask the government for funds we are taken on a trip and told that it is the responsibility of the national government, then the national government refers us to the county government,” he continued

The villagers noted that everyone was co-operative and willing to give their share to complete the stalled projects.

“There are people in the informal sector who are willing to give their share of the amount needed for the repairs. Others are contributing in terms of labour and mobilising the community,” said Jibran.

The villagers have begun with the road from Kanyanga to Kishamba as it is among the worst yet busiest roads.

A local engineer, Nickson Fundi, also faulted the county leadership for what he termed as shoddy work, adding that structures constructed by the former government are falling apart.

“The work done by the CDF in the previous government was shoddy because all the structures have fallen apart, yet the structures built before are still intact,” he said.