Eldoret: As Uasin Gishu County and its neighbouring counties in the North Rift region continue experiencing high precipitation, excess water flowing to lower areas has created significant stormwater challenges. This has caused serious damage to road infrastructure, affecting transportation and roadworks across the county-especially within Eldoret City's CBD.
According to Kenya News Agency, on Monday, Governor Dr. Jonathan Bii inspected areas prone to stormwater problems and directed the Department of Roads to manage the situation effectively despite the ongoing heavy rains. Under his Nguzo number six on roads and infrastructure development, Dr. Bii has outlined key focus areas aimed at enhancing infrastructure to spur economic growth.
In line with this, the County Executive Committee Member for Roads, Dr. Abraham Serem, and Chief Officer Geoffrey Tanui engaged representatives from the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) to discuss solutions to Eldoret City's perennial stormwater problems. "The Governor is very concerned about this problem. As a department, we are committed to ensuring that the promise he made to the people on enhanced connectivity is achieved-both through our own efforts and by collaborating with all relevant government agencies," Dr. Serem said.
During the meeting, the stakeholders agreed on a multi-agency approach to address the issues, focusing on improving the road network, developing bypasses, creating new urban plans, and enhancing transport systems to ensure all roads remain passable. North Rift KeNHA Director, Eng. Philemon Kipkoech, noted that stormwater had become a menace not only to drainage systems but also to other developments in the city. "We have also faced traffic management challenges within Eldoret City. With its upgrade to city status, traffic volumes have increased significantly, and we are working to find better solutions to decongest the city," he said.
KURA's Assistant Director for the North Region, Eng. Richard Yagam, emphasized their focus on stormwater management, tackling the effects of solid waste on drainage systems, and fostering collaboration to resolve the identified challenges. "We have discussed regulatory approaches to help implement solutions, including developing an integrated masterplan for the city, enforcing regulations, and strengthening teamwork across agencies to make Eldoret a better city," Eng. Yagam explained.
Also present at the meeting were Chief Officer for roads, Geoffrey Tanui, Eng. Julius Ronoh (Director, Roads), Eng. Benjamin Kirongo (Director, Public Works), Mark Tarus (Director, Administration), and Eng. Nicholas Parapara (KeRRA), among others.