Tana residents fault Kenha over new Lapsset roads deal
Residents of Tana River have accused the government of double standard after the county was left out of the fresh Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport project (Lapsset) corridor access roads announced on Monday.
Speaking to the nation.africa in Garsen, the residents faulted the government for bypassing Tana River county in plans that would have changed the lives of people.
"The government has always had very little in mind for Tana River County, they could not even let us benefit from this little opportunity that was right at our doorstep," said Ali Kofa.
Ali Kofa, residents in Mwina village, Tana Delta sub county speaking at a public forum.
Among the benefits residents decry losing following the new plans include resort Cities, standard gauge railway, crude oil pipeline, and the bitumen standard highway, among many others.
The residents have termed the move an injustice to the local population, urging President Uhuru Kenyatta to review the project and make the county a beneficiary.
"We have the safest route to Lamu and even to Garissa, it has no record of terror attacks, yet we have been denied the opportunity to gain from it," said Mohammed Jarha.
In initials project plans, the security road was set to begin from Boji in Tana River County through Masalani to Ijara in Garissa county.
As a result, the county government developed a spatial plan declaring parcels along the road as prime land.
Also, the county administration lined up its municipality chatter with the project, leaving various parcels of land for industrial development and housing programs.
However, in the new plans announced on Monday, the 250kilometre road will no longer take the dimension, but will instead leave Kiunga in Lamu County to Hulugho through Ijara in Garissa county leaving the administration's plan in limbo.
The new project concept lines up nine counties as beneficiaries of the multi-billion project expected to spur the economies of respective counties to the benefit of millions of people.
Other counties set to reap from the project apart from Lamu and Garissa include Marsabit, Isiolo, Meru, Turkana, Samburu, Baringo, and Laikipia.
Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana regretted the idea, noting that the county was better placed to inspire the idea compared to Garissa county.
"The only thing, which forced them to factor in Tana River county is the Garsen-Witu-Lamu Road, which perhaps was to connect the LAPSSET Corridor project to the existing road infrastructure and aid in transporting raw material to the Lamu Port. However, the entire concept needs to be looked at from a wider perspective if at all it is a security road," he said.
Nevertheless, the governor maintained that the county administration will remain focused on its urbanization plans, with eyes set on housing programs and wooing investors towards industrial development. BY DAILY NATION
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