Kwale: Kwale County has launched municipality upgrades geared towards infrastructure development, economic growth, and improved public service. The municipality upgrades are focusing on better infrastructure, service delivery, and overall quality of life for residents and the business community.
According to Kenya News Agency, the upgrades include road constructions and bus terminals, aiming to improve the coastal county's infrastructure and attract investment. Governor Fatuma Achani highlighted the importance of these projects in opening economic activities and enhancing the county's development.
Achani says the devolved government has awarded a six-month tender worth Sh1.9 million to Kudzecha Women Limited Company in Lunga Lunga Sub County to clean and maintain the Lunga Lunga municipality. She said the county government is also initiating and reinforcing municipality cleanup activities with a focus on environmental sanitation and waste management.
Lunga Lunga municipality borders Tanzania, and renewed efforts aim to strengthen trade ties between Kenya and Tanzania. 'Our aim is to create a clean and healthy environment for businesses in the region so that we can attract investors, especially from Tanzania, due to the strategic location of the Lungalunga town,' she said.
She says her administration has so far awarded various project tenders to over 100 local women and youth companies as a way of empowering women and youth, who are the majority facing the unemployment crisis. The initiative includes paving the Ziwani-Soko la Lungalunga and Sokoni-Lungalunga Secondary School roads with cabro blocks, setting up a modern market, and installing streetlights - all of which have created a more favourable business environment along the busy border corridor.
Achani says the county has initiated several initiatives focused on rehabilitating and reconstructing roads and other infrastructure projects in the local municipalities. She says this initiative is part of a broader infrastructure development plan, emphasising that residents are being involved in those projects.
The governor says Kwale has Kwale, Diani, Kinango, and Lunga Lunga municipalities, which were all elevated to municipalities to facilitate the allocation of funds and improve services and infrastructure, including revenue collection, town planning, and water supply.
Lungalunga Municipal Manager Grace Mumba acknowledged the county's commitment to infrastructure improvements and the many projects that have enhanced trade and uplifted local livelihoods. Mumba added that the town has expanded, and cross-border business activities have improved.
'Before, it was very difficult to transport goods from Tanzania to our local markets. But with the improved road network, things have become much easier, as goods deliveries are faster, more reliable, and less expensive,' she added. Mumba noted that the infrastructure improvements across Lunga-Lunga municipality have sparked renewed investor interest, signalling a new era of growth and economic potential for the region.
'Many are already engaged in business; others aspire to start, and we anticipate more investors coming to Lunga-Lunga to create opportunities,' she said. The municipal manager described the road and street lighting projects as transformational, saying it would improve mobility, enhance access to education and healthcare, and help integrate local border communities into the county's development efforts.
Nicodemus Kioko, a local businessman, said that transport has become much easier, especially with the construction of cabro-paved roads and the rehabilitation of key routes connecting villages to markets, schools, and health centers. 'Now vehicles don't get stuck, and our children go to school without any problems. We used to worry about them walking in the mud or getting late, but now the roads are passable and safe,' he noted. He also added that the presence of streetlights has helped businesses operate 24/7.
Mercy Kinago, Director of Kudzecha Women Limited Company, thanked the county for awarding them a tender to clean up Lungalunga Town - an initiative that has significantly improved cleanliness in the area. This, she said, has attracted more investors from the neighbouring country of Tanzania and boosted businesses, thus creating job opportunities for the locals.