Bungoma residents want more jobs as insecurity dominates Sikika Sasa TV show

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A wave of insecurity in the county, including the string of murders targeting children, greatly featured during KTN's talk show, Sikika Sasa.

Speaking at the show, which is sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), County Commander Maalim Mohamed said many of the murders had been investigated and the culprits arrested.

"After an overhaul of the security team in the county, we managed to arrest 11 most wanted criminals who were behind the recent killings. Six have been sentenced to death, four are in remand and one has jumped bail," said Mr Maalim.

County leaders led by Governor Ken Lusaka and Woman Representative Reginalda Wanyonyi took part in the show that aims to give residents an opportunity to air views on issues of public concern, as well as raise issues they want addressed by the two levels of government.

During the show, residents sought solutions to various challenges including poor infrastructure, unemployment and revival of the Webuye Paper Mills.

Maalim added that defilement cases and underage pregnancies had taken toll on the county and called for concerted efforts from locals and elected leaders to curb the vice.

"It is worrying when even Standard Eight exam candidates are impregnated," he said.

Pregnancy rates

Recently, an education official disclosed that 53 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations candidates in county were pregnant, a matter that raised eyebrows among education stakeholders and leaders.

Dr Wanyonyi vowed to work with residents to curb the rising cases of underage pregnancies.

Residents noted that the jigger cases were on the rise in the region, and that most school-going children were infested.

"We have the young and old who are vulnerable to jiggers and are really suffering; we need immediate action to this problem," said Namlei Wasike, a resident.

Wanyonyi said the county had partnered with Ahadi Kenya to start an anti-jigger programme, which will be rolled out in five schools in Kabuchai constituency.

"We should not only address the symptoms but also reasons why the jigger menace is in Bungoma. At the moment, we have to deal with the problem as it is, but moving forward, we shall deal with the high poverty index in the county," said Governor Lusaka.

Residents complained of poor infrastructure; roads in most areas are dilapidated, which they said had affected their businesses.

"We experience losses when our fish goes stale due to lack of storage facilities and our roads are impassable, making it a challenge to supply fresh produce to the market," said a fish farmer.

The residents further pointed out that the Webuye Pan Paper factory was lying idle, when it could have been a source of employment.

Although the county leadership has promised to rehabilitate the plant, most residents claimed it had been years since anything was done.

Locals expressed concern that unemployment continued to bite hard in the county and called on the county government to lay out measures that would create employment.