Okuleu residents in Malaba North Ward, Teso North Sub County led by church leaders have planted bananas along the dilapidated road which is the area’s economic livelihood.
Bishop Leonard Ekeya said have been unable to access the area owing to the bad state of the road which was last repaired in 2017, urging relevant authorities to move with speed and correct the anomaly.
” The angry residents had no option but to plant bananas to resgister their grievances. Apart from the dilapidated road, the area also lacks some infrastructure including water and electricity,” Bishop Ekeya said.
Mr Tobias Otia said they have tried in vain to reach relevant authorities but to no avail, prompting them to use peoples’ farms to reach their desired destinations.
” We need this issue addressed urgently to make it motorable. Businessmen find it difficult to transport their farm produce, same to those who transport bodies of their loved ones.
Pamela Aselany said the road is waterlogged possing dangers to their school-going children who use the road, thus the need to find an urgent solution.
Area Member of the County Assembly-elect, Hon Patrick Omanyala clarified that the Kamuriai- Atabakekusuba- Okuleu road is a National Government road manned by Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) and not by the County Government.
“I tried to remove water from the busy road by availing an excavator after plea from residents as a stop-gap measure. I urge church leaders to educate residents on who owns what road instead of levelling every blame to the County Government,” he said.
Area Member of Parliament-elect Hon Oku Kaunya’s representative who spoke on condition of anonymity admitted that the road indeed belongs to the National through Constituency Development Fund, adding that machines are on site to repair the road.
