Busia residents are hoping that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s promise last Friday to that his administration will set up 63 Kilometres of tarmacked road to Teso South and Teso North residents will not be another political gimmick.
President Kenyatta, during his tour of Busia County, commissioned the upgrading of 28.3km Busia-Malaba road and 35km Malaba-Angurai-Moding-Kawalun and Angurai-Malakisi roads to bitumen standards.
The head of state gave the assurance that he will return to Teso to launch the road after 18 months to herald a new era in the history of Teso region which he said had no tarmacked road since independence.
“You have waited for long. The road will expand business in this area. I have faith investors will come and invest here. Farmers will also be able to deliver their produce to the market in good time,” he said before Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong, MPs Arthur Odera And Mary Emaase of Teso North and Teso South respectively, who accompanied him during the tour.
Three days after the President commissioned the construction of the road, some residents are sceptical that the commissioning was a mere political gimmick meant to hoodwink the Teso community to vote for the Jubilee government.
“Soon after the President commissioned the Malaba-Angurai road no activity is taking place. We fear the project may stall or it was just a public relation act by the President. The rate at which things are folding must be checked. On behalf of Malaba residents we are demanding a quick response to this public outcry about the legality of this project because it’s frustrating,” a blogger, Janko Jaja, said in Bunge La Busia County.