Residents of Muhoroni Town, Kisumu county have appealed to the county government in a bid to resolve a garbage menace that has plagued the area.
Addressing the media on Monday, January 11, 2021, Felix Munga, a director at the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce (KNCC) in charge of Ethics and Governance, voiced concerns over the construction of a social hall that had since stopped and the building turned into a dumpsite.
The construction of the hall is said to have been commissioned over 15 years ago but was yet to be completed. The building is said to have cost Ksh15 Million so far.
Munga stated that despite several appeals to the government, they were yet to have a garbage collection centre and that the use of the incomplete social hall as a dumpsite was a clear waste of public funds.
"It is now condemned. It has been turned into a garbage collection site. The county government must come in and tell us the fate of this social hall.
"This social hall is one of the main economic growth enablers in this town. We do not have a garbage collection centre. Now, this hall has been turned o a garbage collection site," Munga remarked.
Garbage in the town is ballooning by day, and members of the public have identified the site as a health hazard, further urging the county government to address the situation.
A video was seen by Kenyans.co.ke showed the area surrounding the social hall, covered with disposed waste which had accumulated into the building itself. A section of the building had even grown reeds.
The stalled project marks one of many similar reported incidents from across the country.
For instance, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu in a report released on January 4, revealed that the Ministry of Mining's head office refurbishment project had stalled despite the State Department paying out Ksh20 million.
Gathungu in her report indicated that the Ministry had allocated Ksh45.66 million in the 2018-2019 fiscal year for routine maintenance and other departmental projects.
In her report, the Auditor General stated that the projects by the ministry appeared to stall as there was no indication of contractors at the site.
Over the recent months, the national government in tandem with county governments has worked to ensure the completion of stalled projects from across the country.
