Residents of Omuthiya on Saturday during a public meeting raised concerns about the council’s failure to fix broken streetlights, de-bush overgrown areas, clean up the town, collect household waste, and address the unsanitary condition of the current open market area.
Speaking at the meeting, Valombola Kwanza said the open market looks unsanitary from the back and is causing an unpleasant smell around the trading area.
“The council must do something. Do they even go outside and monitor this situation? That place is a health hazard,” he said.
Another resident, Ndinelago Ihengu, said the streetlights at extension 1 have been off since last year and that the matter has been reported to the council’s office, with no rectification so far.
“The town has a lot of shrubs, bushes and unnecessary trees that are bringing mosquitoes, and yet when people complain, this matter takes time to be resolved. The living standards of Omuthiya residents need to improve,” she said.
Town’s mayor Wilbard Anyemba says the council has discussed the issue with the Northern Regional Electricity Distributor and plans are underway to service and fix the broken lights.
He says his office would investigate the unsanitary condition of the open market and make improvements.
“Measures have been implemented to improve waste management and environmental cleanliness within the town, but for the council’s employees to get access to your household waste, residents should put their refuse bins outside their yards on the designated collection days, because the employees are not permitted to enter any residential areas,” he says.
Anyemba says the first public meeting of the year is aimed at bringing together community members, sharing information, promoting transparency, and strengthening accountability.
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