Open letter to Kajiado County Governor, Dr. David Nkedianye

Dear Sir,

Receive greetings and best wishes from residents of Ongata Rongai and Kiserian. We trust this finds you in high spirits and perfect health.

Without delving into too many niceties, we would like to remind you of a little matter that you may have forgotten – that many residents in these two suburban areas voted for you in the last elections. We did so because we believed you had the best chance to transform the region to a fast growing commercial metropolis for Kajiado County. We had hopes that Rongai and Kiserian would become the natural go-to for investors, not just in Kajiado, but the whole country.

Four years later, whatever remained of infrastructure has fallen apart, link roads have turned into cattle paths, drainage systems are non-existent, mountains of garbage are everywhere, traffic has become a nightmare, people are perishing in floods due to the frequent overtopping of box culverts and bridges. Now investors are contemplating relocating because living and doing business in Ongata Rongai and surrounding areas is a pain that we have to endure every day.

Do we deserve this utter neglect after helping you to occupy one of the most powerful positions in the country? But even if we had not voted for you, aren't you the CEO of the entire County?

Every financial year, you have been receiving billions of shillings of taxpayers' money. In addition, the county collects millions from traders and land owners in form of permits and rates. All these funds are to be used to meet recurrent and development expenditure, all for the benefit of residents.

Regrettably, there is no tangible project that has been initiated in Kiserian and Ongata Rongai areas since you assumed office. In fact, our suffering and sense of hopelessness has increased since the County Government came to power. Many residents wonder if indeed there is a county government in Kajiado and if there is, who does it serve?

We are yet to taste the fruits of devolution.

The result of this inaction is evident in the disastrous traffic snarl-ups, which Ongata Rongai residents wake up to daily. It is also seen in uncollected garbage around the main Kware market, the absence of a proper market for traders and failure to construct a bus park for service vehicles. We are rapidly losing our attractiveness as an investment and tourist destination. The hospitality industry, for instance, is counting its losses as potential clients keep off due to fear of heavy traffic and flooding, especially during the rainy season.

Well, four years have passed by. They cannot be recovered. We got just over one year remaining in your current term.

It needs no guessing that you will be defending your seat during the 2017 general elections. We take this early opportunity to wish you success. On our part, we do not care much about political parties, tribe or clan. We care only about service. We therefore demand that you take advantage of the one year remaining in your term to carry out the following important projects:

1. Make all link roads motorable throughout the year

Most of the link roads in Ongata Rongai and Kiserian are in a state of disrepair. Kindly ensure that at the very minimum, Gataka road and Rimpa – Maasai Lodge road are upgraded to a standard they can at least last a few years. Our desire is that they be tarmacked but if for some reason this is not possible, please ensure the upgrading is done by providing all weather roads (gravelling) by qualified contractors, ensuring that drainage systems are done well to avoid damage in the next rainy seasons.

During a meeting you convened at Osoita Resort two weeks ago, you and KERRA made a number of promises including grading of the two roads within two weeks and the immediate deployment of traffic marshals to facilitate smooth traffic flow.

The marshals were seen on the road a few days after the meeting. We give you credit for that. But we no longer see them much. They have not been consistent but whenever they are on the road, their impact is felt.

Sometime last week, emergency intervention works on Gataka road kicked off. We have been informed that only Ksh2.3 million was been set aside for the construction, an amount that is too small to upgrade even a kilometer of road to acceptable standards.

Your Excellency, what the contractor is doing on Gataka road is an insult to the collective intelligence of Ongata Rongai people. There is no need of sinking Ksh2.3 million into this project only for it to be washed away during the next rainy season. We believe it is sensible to upgrade or carry out maintenance activities on a smaller portion of the road and do it well. Alternatively, fix only the badly damaged portions and do it well. The rest can be done when there's sufficient financial allocation possibly in the new financial year.

2. There is no bus park in Ongata Rongai

Consider building a proper bus park as a matter of priority. This will minimize the chaos resulting from buses and Matatus picking and dropping passengers at non-designated spots. The conversion of the area outside Tuskys Supermarket into a major stage is one of the contributors to traffic jams in Ongata Rongai.

3. Traders deserve a better market

As you construct a bus park, kindly also consider a proper and convenient market to accommodate the hardworking traders, who have been operating in unhygienic conditions for years. It is notable that traders are sometimes forced to operate on the main Magadi road due to limitation of space in the market. This has worsened the traffic situation on Magadi road.

We propose that Kware area, where the market currently is, be converted into a bus park and the market be moved to its designated location.

4. Garbage collection

We have seen attempts to collect garbage in Ongata Rongai town. But this has been inconsistent letting garbage mountains to grow and making Ongata Rongai unsightly. Furthermore, the garbage truck often blocks part of Magadi road worsening the traffic situation. We ask you to ensure garbage is collected daily, preferably at night, to keep Ongata Rongai clean. The mountains of garbage around the Kware market are not only an eyesore but also a big put-off to potential tourists and investors.

5. Opening up Oloolaiser Link Road

Finally, Your Excellency, we ask you to consider relocating the Oloolaiser Water Treatment Plant so that the link road from Gataka to Karen can be opened up to motorists. It is one of the shortest routes from Rongai to Nairobi and can contribute greatly to ending the traffic gridlock.

The implementation of the above projects will unlock the traffic nightmare in Ongata Rongai and restore its attractiveness as a residential, tourist and investment destination.

We wish you well as you consider these proposals. We also wish you well as you prepare for your re-election in next year's general elections.

Sincerely,

Fred Gori

Kiserian and Ongata Rongai Residents Association