At this rate, Nakuru’s pride may be no more

Joseph Kiheri | NATION Nakuru Town is the fastest growing town in East Africa, according to UN-Habitat. 

In Summary
The transport sector has slowly gone to the dogs. Probox and other personnel cars, which are not registered as taxis, are increasingly ferrying passengers in and out of the town, to the chagrin of matatu operators.
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One of my idyllic pastimes is to cycle to Nakuru Town from my home village.

Reputedly, the town is one of the fastest growing urban centres in Africa, according to recent reports.

The town, which is one of the tourist hubs in the Great Rift Valley, stands on grounds that were once grazing fields of the Maasai community.

And like other towns that were once home to the pastoralists, the Maasai are credited with bequeathing Nakuru its name. History holds that Nakuru was one of the Kenyan towns that grew along the East African railway.

Like other rapidly expanding urban centres, Nakuru’s growth has come with attendant challenges. My worry — and that of other residents — is that the authorities are turning a blind eye to these problems.

A few years back, Nakuru was the cleanest town in East Africa, thanks to the then Nakuru Municipal Council’s efficiency. This good reputation, which won it several accolades, was a source of pride for the locals and the business community.

This good name is under threat because the efficiency of yesteryears seems to be taking a back seat, with infrastructure crumbling as the authorities watch.

The town’s traffic lights, for instance, hardly function. They stopped blinking within minutes of their installation and the county government seems to have not found anything amiss with this.
The residents’ health is also at risk as stench from free public toilets smells to the high heavens. Most of these important facilities are in bad state and cannot be used.

Traders, commuters and some residents have to pay to relieve themselves at pay toilets— a lucrative business venture. The foul smell is boosted by heaps of rotting garbage that has remained uncollected for months at the open air Wakulima market.

Gone to the dogs

The transport sector has slowly gone to the dogs. Probox and other personnel cars, which are not registered as taxis, are increasingly ferrying passengers in and out of the town, to the chagrin of matatu operators.

These vehicles have also increased jams, especially during rush hours. On the town’s periphery, residential houses are being erected at an unprecedented rate but without proper planning.

Although 24-hour economy has been identified as a viable strategy for boosting trade, Nakuru leaders are doing little or nothing to achieve it. Street lights malfunctioned months ago, exposing businesses to criminals at night. The few functional lights do not offer adequate lighting— forcing businesses to close early.

Nakuru is a melting pot of Kenya’s cultural diversity. However, this unique tourist potential has never been exploited.

The town lacks a cultural centre of the Bomas of Kenya variety where communities can showcase their heritage. Some hoteliers have taken advantage of this failure on the part of leaders to host select tribes in what is being dubbed as cultural nights, where they mint easy millions.

Like most ‘Nakuruians’, I do not visit the world famous Lake Nakuru National Park.

That Kenyans are made to feel like second class citizens in their own country is telling by the treatment they are accorded by their own fellow countrymen. This is common in high-end facilities in the park, where Kenyans are required to pay for services in foreign currency.

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