Kirinyaga County to spend Ksh.142 million on Kerugoya/Kutus Municipality facelift

The Kirinyaga County Government is set to spend Ksh.140 million on a facelift of Kerugoya Kutus Municipality which hosts the county headquarters.

The facelift program involves construction of car parks, improvement of town streets and non-motorable ways as well as improving the drainage system in the municipality.

The improvement projects are being implemented under the Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP) which is a collaboration between the County Government and The World Bank.

Governor Anne Waiguru has said that phase one of the program is already complete while phase two will be completed in six months’ time.

The first phase of the KUSP program involved Ksh.71.2 million which was used for construction of Kutus parking spaces, construction of Kerugoya Fresh Produce Market and building a daycare center and a storage unit at Kaitheri Apparel Factory in Kerugoya.

The fresh produce market has since brought great relief to about 1,200 traders who had been enduring harsh weather conditions such as rain and sun while undertaking their business.

Kutus/Kerugoya Municipality was among the seven out of 59 municipalities across the country which met the World Bank’s minimum KUSP grant conditions hence qualifying for subsequent funding.

The second phase of the project involves construction of car parks adjacent to Kerugoya County and Referral Hospital, upgrading of selected streets and non-motorable ways to bitumen standards as well as improving the drainage system along the highway in Kerugoya town. The project which is expected to be complete in six months has also been funded to the tune of Ksh.71.2 million.

It also involves landscaping of both sides of the highway from Baricho Junction to Co-operative Bank and beautification of Kerugoya County Referral Hospital frontage by planting vegetation such as grass, flowers and trees. Market sheds will also be constructed to accommodate traders who have been selling along the streets.

Waiguru noted that the facelift will benefit the town residents and traders and also improve on revenue collection for the county. It will also create jobs for around 1,000 people through the public and private transport services and improved trading activities around the areas being improved.

She also observed that the ongoing project has become a source of income to hundreds of youth who are employed to undertake the works.

The rehabilitation of Sagana-Samson Corner road which is set to be complete by the end of this year, according to the County Government, is also expected to spur more growth within the municipality while the county government dedicates itself to construction of storm water drainage to ensure free flow of water and prevent flooding in towns.

Another feature that is poised to raise the standards and improve the vibrant business community in Kerugoya is the upcoming medical complex.

It will see the elevation of Kerugoya County and Referral Hospital to a fully-fledged Level Five facility with all the amenities of a high-end medical facility which include an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU), modern surgical theatres among others.