Suba elders call for Infrastructure development

Homa Bay, Friday June 30, 2023

KNA by Davis Langat

The Suba Council of Elders has petitioned both the national and county governments to channel more resources to the Suba region to fast-track development.

Led by the council Chairman Peter Odede, the elders noted that the Suba region was endowed with resources capable of transforming the community if fully exploited. 

He said that because the resources have not been fully utilized, the region has remained underdeveloped and the community marginalized.

Odede noted that some of the resources the region is endowed with include a large frontage of Lake Victoria with eight islands, Ruma National Park and forests among others.

He said the road network was poor and impassable during rainy seasons.

The Chairman said the situation has led to slow economic growth as the movement of goods and people is limited.

He said fishermen, boda boda operators, traders and farmers had been adversely affected by the poor Infrastructure.

The sentiments were echoed by the Subs Council of Elders coordinator Opiata Ogada and advisor Ochola Gaa who called on the government to come to their rescue by constructing roads.

"We don't want politicians to continue using the situation to seek votes from the Suba community with empty promises," Odede said.

He said retired President Uhuru Kenyatta for example said his government was going to tarmac the Rusinga ring road to promote business but the road is yet to be constructed. 

They also called for the creation of a new county that will make them distinct from Homa Bay as proposed by Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama.

Kitayama had proposed the creation of new counties for Kuria, Teso, Mount Elgon, East Pokot and Mwingi.

The new five counties will be hived off regions where minority communities have been overshadowed by dominant ones.

Suba South MP Caroli Omondi also wants his constituency and Suba North represented by Millie Odhiambo to be merged and made one county when proposals by Kitayama are being discussed at the National Assembly.

"Suba elders want a meeting with President William Ruto to articulate some of their grievances directly with him," Ogada said.

The elders want the state to create Suba Kaksingri, Suba North, and Suba East Sub-counties to ease access to government services.

"Having more sub-counties will enable our children to be employed. We are also optimistic that it will lead to the economic growth of the region," he said.

Speaking at Sindo market in Suba South constituency Thursday, the elders want Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, Senator Moses Kajwang and other legislators to help develop the area.

Fishermen and boda boda operators want feeder roads tarmacked during the construction of Rusinga ring road to boost their business operations.

Roads and Infrastructure CS Kipchumba Murkomen said the government has allocated funds to construct the ring road and the 74km Mbita-Magunga-Sori road.

Litare BMU Chairman Isaiah Pero and his Kiumba counterpart Samuel Osewe said the state of the road at the moment was bad.

“Fish is a perishable commodity that needs to be transported to the market on time,” Pero said.

Mbita boda boda Chairman Fredrick Odhiambo said good roads will save them from unnecessary maintenance expenses.

Courtesy ; K. N. A