Nearly a year after the successful relocation of Phase Two of the Kachok dumpsite in Kisumu City, the plan to rehabilitate the empty land into a recreational garden remains an empty promise.
The garbage site was moved to the Kasese Waste Management site in Muhoroni sub-county in June last year as the county government promised to kick off plans to rehabilitate the land at a cost of Sh130 million.
When the Nation.Africa team visited the facility on Thursday morning, the piece of land remained bare with a few street children ransacking what seemed to have remained after the relocation of the dumpsite.
Apart from being fenced, the empty land showed no sign of recent activities with only weeds and grass growing on the bare ground.
When contacted, the Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga said that the county had already outsourced the services of Villa Care Limited to rehabilitate the eight-acre piece of land where the infamous Kachok dumpsite once sat.
Mr Wanga said that Villa Care will carry out the rehabilitation of the long-awaited recreational center.
According to Mr Wanga, the rehabilitation of the facility is currently underway and the completion timeline will be communicated in the meantime.
“The facility has been outsourced to Villa Care and the rehabilitation activities are currently ongoing,” said Mr Wanga.
According to the city manager, upon completion, the facility will offer an alternative recreation center to middle and low-income earners in the county.
The center, according to Mr Wanga, will serve a number of city dwellers, especially those unable to afford the expensive recreational facilities in the major hotels.
“The facility will serve the residents of Kondele, Arina, Manyatta and Nyalenda who may need to take their children out to play at affordable rates,” said Mr Wanga.
After the first phase of relocation of the dumpsite, 2.45 acre piece of the land was used to put up a botanical garden with trees, grass, flowers and shrubs.
“Since the second phase of the relocation, nothing has been going on here and most of us are worried that the plans might not materialize any soon,” said Collins Odhiambo, a bodaboda rider in the area.
In June last year, the dumpsite was relocated to Kasese Waste Management Centre, in Muhoroni sub-county to pave the way for the rehabilitation of the land.
Before its relocation, the 44-year-old dumpsite had gobbled up millions of shillings as the responsible authorities tried to relocate it.
The residents had even blamed some politicians of using the dumpsite as a campaign tool but did nothing about it once in power.
