In Kapsabet town, Nandi County, goats roam the town’s streets as traders jostle with animals for limited space. This has caused long traffic jams daily to the chagrin of town residents. For over a year, the traders are selling grains, fish among other commodities on the congested streets, causing human and vehicular traffic outside the business premises.

Catherine Nanjala, a green maize hawker, sits outside the incomplete stalls as she narrates their daily ordeal. She says daily, they are confronted by county enforcement officers who demand Sh50, failure to which they are ejected from the space.

“We were pushed to work under unfinished stalls where customers cannot access. Every day, county officials come to collect cess for storing our commodities under the stalls,” said Nanjala.

She added that the traders have been forced to contend with theft of their goods and wares, occasioning losses.
The green painted stalls are one of the World Bank-funded projects initiated for expansion of market in the fast-growing town.

John Kemei, one of the public service vehicle operators, lamented that there are no public toilets since the project has not yet been completed, a year after it was initiated.
“The bus stage is in the middle of the town and there are no public toilets. The only available toilets are in business premises and access is restricted,” said Kemei.

Being the Nandi County headquarters, Kapsabet has been traditionally an agricultural centre surrounded by the tea, dairy, coffee and maize farmers. The town was earmarked as a municipality in 2018 with a management team put in place.

However, the town benefited from grants worth Sh218 million, which were channelled into various developments. Sh41 million was used for the Kapsabet municipal capacity building, while Sh177 million was majorly for infrastructural projects in the town.

According to Kapsabet MCA Fred Kipkemboi, the funds were used for installation of street lights, expansion of bus terminal, water and sewerage systems in Kapsabet and its environs. However, Kipkemboi says that most of the projects did not meet the standards and were poorly executed.

He says the upgrading of the market was suspended after an investigation by the county assembly.
The county assembly had set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the Sh177 million expenditure, and they revealed a litany of procurement irregularities and poor workmanship.

The committee chaired by Tinderet MCA Kipkirui Chepkwony found that the substandard wires were used to connect power for security lights, ostensibly to cut the cost of installing lights in Kapsabet town and its environs. The committee further questioned the quality of the building materials used in the construction of stalls, leading to suspension of the project, which was at 90 per cent complete.

“We found the documents not showing any graft allegations, but out-rightly poor work was done by the contractor. That was our findings, and it’s upon the municipality to work on the issues raised over the standard of the facilities, which consumed millions of public funds,” said Kipkirui.

He said the recommendations given have not been implemented as the stalled projects in the Central Business District have stalled.

“It was our responsibility as the MCAs to overhaul the implementation process. The toilets, markets and the drainage systems have not been done to mitigate the challenges the residents have been facing....,” said Kipkirui.
Kipkemboi pointed out lack of proper management of solid waste had turned the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital into an eyesore.

“The town management has not yet provided a designated land to deposit the town waste. The county has twice times allocated Sh10 million for procurement of a land outside, which has never materialised as solid waste still drains into the hospital land,” Kipkemboi said.

Kapsabet town, with a population of over 80,000 people, have estates like Eastview, Kamoba, Showground, Namgoi, Kabutye, Nandi Primary, and CITC, all of which are not connected to the main sewerage system. The town manager Richard Ng’eny admitted that lack of the integrated development plan had negatively impacted implementation of town projects, claiming that they would soon seek approval by the county assembly.

“There is a lot to be done to make the town an ultimate destination for investors. So far, World Bank projects are continuing, and also projects in question will be reviewed as recommended,” said Ng’eny.

He, however, dismissed claims of mismanagement raised in a report by the county assembly, saying that the information was far-fetched and the county still has Sh29 million which is yet to be spent.
“We are looking forward for the MCAs to formulate policies that will help in enhancing the beauty of the town streets, compelling landlords to put cabros outside their business premises to help in drainage,” he said.