Residents of Ithanga and Kakuzi areas of Gatanga in Murang'a county have a reason to celebrate after getting a new subcounty.
This comes after decades of suffering as they sought government services when they were still under Gatanga subcounty.
The new Ithanga Kakuzi subcounty, named after the two wards it covers, was gazetted on June 4. It will save residents the agony of travelling tens of kilometres to the former subcounty headquarters.
They had to go through Thika town in Kiambu county to get to upper Gatanga to acquire identity cards and other administrative services.
The two wards are some of the most disadvantaged parts of Gatanga constituency. They are also semi-arid. A few years ago, residents had to turn to the government and well-wishers for relief food following a famine.
Residents depended on scarce wells for their domestic water and complained about poor mobile phone networks that made it impossible for them to invest in online businesses.
The high poverty levels are partly attributed to the soaring cases of teen pregnancies recorded in the area in recent years.
In 2018, the government constructed the first tarmac road in the area, the 40-kilometre Gatii-iguru Ithanga Mbombo road that connects the area to the Eastern region.
The government has since made efforts to mitigate food insecurity by commissioning a Sh2.4 billion water project to help locals engage in agribusiness.
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has also sunk about 1,000 water pans, with area MP Nduati Ngugi having lobbied for the same.
This has seen farms that were previously idle transformed into orchards. The area now does well in the production of fruits such as mangoes and oranges.
Food crops also take a significantly short time to mature given the hot weather.
Gatanga is one of the largest constituencies in Murang’a, spanning from the Aberdare forest to county's border with Machakos.
MP Ngugi said the vastness of the constituency made it hard for administrators and security officers to cover all parts.
Together with other local leaders, he requested President Uhuru Kenyatta to consider subdividing the subcounty to make it easier for his constituents to access government services.
Four other wards—Kihumbu-ini, Kariara, Mugumo-ini and Gatanga—remain in Gatanga subcounty.
“I pledged to do everything possible to bring government services closer to the people when I was elected. We will now have all government offices, including that of a subcounty police commander, which will go a long way in improving security,” Ngugi said, adding that the new subcounty will also have two new locations, Ngaatho and Kirathani.
Gatanga constituency will be the second in the county to have two subcounties after Kiharu, which has Kahuro and Murang’a East.
Monicah Nyambura, a resident, told the Star they were previously forced to leave before dawn whenever they needed services from the subcounty headquarters.
This was a challenge, especially to youths seeking identity cards, she said.
“We are happy that the government has brought these services close to our homes,” she said.
County commissioner Fred Ndunga said the new deputy county commissioner Angela Mutindi Makau’s priority will be to fight illicit brews, drugs and theft that have bedevilled the area.
Education standards in the area are also low and the new officer will be required to rally stakeholders to ensure a turnaround.
“She will also help us to sensitise locals to Covid-19 and enforce the government’s guidelines,” he added.
Mutindi, for her part, appealed to residents to cooperate, saying together they will transform the area and improve services.
Edited by F'Orieny