Six informal settlements in Kisumu county have received a major face-lift following the rollout of the second Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project.
The projects, among them roads, markets, storm water drainage, solid waste management and street lighting have opened up the slums, thus enhancing access to basic infrastructure and land tenure security.
Kisumu KISIP 2 coordinator Tom Mboya said through the Sh1.3 billion project, 14 roads were currently under construction in Bandani, Manyatta A, Manyatta B, Kibuye and Muhoroni.
Mboya said the projects, which are at different levels of completion, shall be handed over on January 18, 2025.
Notable projects are the Sh1.3 million Auji-Pundo road, which will connect Bandani to Kisumu-Busia highway opening up the informal settlement.
For many years, the informal settlement opposite Kisumu International Airport was delinked from the rest of Kisumu City due to lack of roads.
The road will enhance security besides improving land tenure in the area and other informal settlements.
“The land in these informal settlements belongs to the community. The title deeds are freehold that is why the government has little influence in the land’s utilization,” Mboya said.
“However, through KISIP2 we have managed to pay those affected by the roads we are constructing.”
Moving people to pave the way for the projects, he said, was the biggest challenge, adding that the county government has spent Sh12 million to compensate the affected people.
“These people have lived here for long. Some have buried their loved ones here, therefore, it was not easy to convince them to move,” he said.
Speaking during an inspection of the roads, Mboya added that the roads were set to spark economic growth, even as he called on residents to take advantage and do business.
As part of the project, three modern markets have been constructed in Bandani, Manyatta and Kasawino to provide safe spaces for women to trade.
The markets, which have a capacity of 68 traders each, would provide
a lifeline for traders in the informal
settlements.
