The power of social media was again on display on Saturday, March 8, after a viral photo pushed county officials into action.
The photo that was shared widely on social media showed a section of a residential house in Naivasha sitting on a tarmac - it was not clear whether the road was tarmacked before or after the house was built.
Kenyans on social media were both outraged and amused at the rarity of the absurdity with several memes being created from it - furthering the embarrassment of the County Government of Nakuru.
The municipal council of Naivasha was on Saturday forced to move swiftly and demolish the building alongside other structured, spurred by online ridicule.
According to a report by The Standard on Sunday, March 8, county bulldozers descended on blocks of rental houses that were flouting the county planning regulations.
The affected residents from Kabati area were forced to seek shelter elsewhere as the bulldozers turned the structures on the road reserves to dust and rubble.
The county government had apparently given the developers an 8-month notice to demolish the structures and, conveniently, the social media uproar had coincided with the lapse of the notice.
The MCA for Viwandani, Eric Gichuki provided that the encroachment on the road reserves negatively affected a World Bank project that targeted rehabilitation of roads in the three estates.
However, even as the rehabilitation project continued, the residents raised questions over the quality of the road works stating that roads connecting three estates in the area were full of potholes.
“We support the move to bring down all structures that have encroached on road reserves but the contractor should address the quality of the works,” stated Mariku Gikonyo, the chairman of the Viwanadani Residents Association.
The residents had as well voiced their complaints that the drainage systems had already been compromised.
This situation had further been exacerbated by ongoing rains inciting worry among the residents.
“The works that are funded by the World Bank are not yet complete yet sections of the road are falling apart and this is worrying,” provided Eskimos Kobia, the chairman of the Naivasha Professionals Association
