No city status for Kisumu due poor planning

People from Nyanza love referring their beloved lake-side town as Kisumu City.

Turns out that reference could have been premature.Confirmation of Kisumu Town as a city has been delayed due to its poor planning and a slum located a kilometre from it’s the town centre.

The town was conferred city status upon enactment of Urban Areas and Cities Act (2011) but Governor Jack Ranguma has failed to establish a management board to oversee its administration.

The governor says the slum in the backyard, the Kachok dumpsite, which is 500 metres from the town and a planned reorganisation, had delayed Kisumu being confirmed a city, Daily Nation reports.

“Kisumu, according to the Constitution, is a city but it has a robust rural population just like Eldoret, Naivasha, and Kisii. The town’s assets are some of the things that the Constitution Implementation Commission and Transition Authority must look into before we form a city board,” Mr Ranguma is quoted as saying.

NEXT READ: KISUMU CITY SET TO GET KICC-LIKE BUILDING

According to the Urban Act, a town is conferred city status if it has a population of more than 500,000, has an urban development plan, effective waste disposal mechanisms, basic road connections, street lights and disaster management capabilities.The declaration is made by the President through the resolution of the Senate.

Mr Ranguma has been under pressure from local leaders to form the city management board, a semi-autonomous government that has powers to formulate policies specific for a city. “Some people think I am not interested in setting up the boards, but the truth is that my office is working with the relevant authorities to have them set up despite the challenges,” he said.

ALSO SEE: RAILA’S FAMILY OWES MUMIAS SUGAR KSH300M