A section of Mautuma residents in Lugari Sub-County on Wednesday ganged up to stop the operator of a plant that has been working on the Mlimani Juction-Ivona road from going any further after accusing the contractor of doing a shoddy job.
This comes a few days after the area MCA, Charles Anyona, launched maintenance of the road.
Led by boda boda riders from Ivona, the residents confronted the man at work and asked him to leave, failing which they set the plant on fire, as shown in a video.
“Just go with your vehicle. Don’t joke with the public, and don’t engage in an argument with them. Just leave lest they burn it (your plant) down,” a man is heard advising the operator in a video shared with the Western Kenya Times.
The residents expressed disapproval with their MCA for contracting a cheap and unprofessional contractor.
“This is taxpayers’ money they are joking with. We as boda boda riders will not accept this trend because we are the ones who suffer while using this road,” an angry rider said.
A woman who joined the protest said she was concerned because other women suffer while trying to access health facilities when giving birth.
The residents are urging the MCA to hire serious people or stop the maintenance altogether.
Tom Lutali is a seasoned scribe based in Lugari Sub-County in Kakamega County who writes human interest stories and sports for WKT.