Traffic lights will be installed in Kisumu starting this month as part of a strategy to ease traffic, especially during peak hours.
This comes 21 years after Kisumu was elevated to a city following a declaration by former president Daniel arap Moi.
The traffic lights will be installed at three main road junctions - the Kisumu Boys High School, Patel, Kondele roundabouts, and the Central Business District (CBD).
Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga said the traffic lights will first go up in the CBD and then the rest of the marked busy roads and junctions.
He said CCTV cameras and Wi-Fi will also be installed in the city as surveillance is boosted.
"I met the consultant and the resident engineer of the project to discuss the initiative that is also aimed at boosting our smart city objective. We plan to install CCTVs and Wi-Fi in the main streets and the informal settlements," Wanga said.
According to the official, the county government will work with Kenya National Highways Authority (KNHA) on the project which is expected to start as soon as possible.
Currently, he said, they are holding meetings with selected residents in several estates, including the upmarket Riat and Milimani, to encourage them to put up street lights and surveillance cameras to enhance security and boost the overall appearance of their areas.
"We are also working on a project with residents of Milimani specifically to encourage them to adopt the idea of gated communities. This will not only enhance the beauty of the city but the estate as well," said Wanga.
Traffic lights became necessary when work on the four-lane Kisumu-Nairobi highway and the Kisumu-Kakamega road started. The roads are expected to improve pedestrian safety and traffic flow.
As the traffic lights are installed, schools and residents will be sensitized on what officials hope to achieve. Transport stakeholders have been urged to ensure the roads and lights are used as intended.
Data from the National Police Service show that Kenya recorded a total of 15,924 road accidents between January 1 and September 26.
Data released a month ago indicates that 3,541 of the accident victims (22.2 per cent) died and 7,236 (32.3 per cent) were seriously injured during that period. At least 1,269 pedestrians died.
