Residents, Traders give conditions of engagement with Kiambu government.
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| A section of the leaders who spearheaded the stakeholders' forum on Friday to lay down their terms of association with the County Government of Kiambu. |
A section of Thika residents and traders have opposed the
manner in Kiambu County Government’s handling public policy matters and
consequently given the latter a raft of conditions of engagement.
During a stakeholders' forum organised by the Thika District Business Association (TDBA) and Kiambu Regional Business Coalition (KRBC) on Friday evening at a Thika Hotel,
the residents complained that the devolved unit was basically overlooking
stakeholders’ concerns and going ahead to implement policies that affected them
without any public input.
They argued that they voted for Governor Ferdinand Waititu and
the County Assembly members in the hope that they would offer an ideal
environment to live and do business in Kiambu County.
Though they said that they were willing to work and support the
county leadership but only if the latter recognised them too as leaders in
their own rights and agreed to involve the residents in all their policy
implementation programmes as enshrined in the constitution.
Among the conditions they want met by the county government
include:-
1. Restoring order
within the CBD.
The traders want the county government to crack the whip on
the hawkers that have invaded virtually all the streets and paths within the
CBD and are now exposing residents to accidents and crime. They are calling on
the county government to offer an alternative for these hawkers latest by the end
of this month.
They also want the county government to reorganise the
public transport system by reassigning bodabodas, tuktuks and PSV matatus with
designated passenger dropping and collection points so as to ease traffic
congestion and also fight crime.
The county government is also being requested to complete
the existing road projects that were scheduled to open up the town and ease
traffic.
2. Service delivery.
The residents are demanding continuous and systematic garbage
collection to ensure the town remained clean and safe from disease outbreak.
They want the county government to seal off all potholes
within the town’s streets as well as covering dangerous pit holes and open sewer
manholes that are posing great danger to the residents especially at night.
3. Alcohol and substance
abuse control.
The traders are demanding the county government to regulate
the licensing of liquor outlets with a view to fighting alcohol abuse and
consequently fight alcohol/drug related crimes.
They are also calling on the county government, through the
Social Welfare Department, to seek a permanent solution to beggars, street
children and prostitution within the CBD. They should also find a way to get
rid of ‘imported beggars’ even if it meant repatriating them back to their
countries of origin.
(Related story: Thika residents oppose planned dissolution of THIWASCO.)
Street children should be rehabilitated with some of them being accommodated in the non-operational Youth Rehabilitation Centre at Jamhuri Primary School as they worked to put up more such centres to accommodate those who miss out on the limited spaces.
Street children should be rehabilitated with some of them being accommodated in the non-operational Youth Rehabilitation Centre at Jamhuri Primary School as they worked to put up more such centres to accommodate those who miss out on the limited spaces.
4. Insecurity.
The traders want the county government to improve on the street
lighting programme as this will help in fighting insecurity and also in
ensuring that Thika becomes a 24-hour economy. They are also demanding the latter
to install CCTV cameras in specific and strategic spots in the town to help
fight crime.
The security committee led by the DCC has also been urged to
up their game by enhancing police patrols and rooting out rogue police officers
working in cahoots with thugs. Consequently, the residents support the idea of registering
all bodabodas and Tuktuk operators, calling on them to be properly branded
according to their registered Saccos and areas of operation.
5. THIWASCO.
The residents want the Status Quo in relation to the management
of the Thika Water & Sewerage Company (THIWASCO) to be maintained until
proper consultations and public participation is done
WARNING!
The residents and traders warned that should the county
government fail to respect to their memorandum, they will be forced to result
to drastic measures which include, and not limited to, boycotting the payments
of Levies and Licences to the County Government of Kiambu.
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