Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite. This famous saying cannot be applied in ‘Yurop’, at least for now.
While the saying loosely translates to getting a good night’s sleep, most residents and visitors spending in lodgings and guest houses in Kisumu popularly known as Yurop, are not enjoying that luxury because they itch from bed bug bites all night long.
Some revellers who usually further their merry making to such premises for ‘co-curricular’ activities are crying foul that the attention is divided and have to balance acrobatics and squeezing the life out of the battalion of bed bugs that have infested the rooms.
So dire is the situation that it has caught the attention of Kisumu County, which is now threatening to close all the guest houses, hotels and lodgings should they fail to which action will be taken against them.
Other affected areas are boarding schools and dwelling houses.
There have also been complaints about the infestation of bedbugs in the public service vehicles operating as town service and also long distance matatus.
According to the notice dated January 27, 2023, issued by Kisumu County Department of Public Health, the owners of the premises have until Friday this week to put their house in order or risk legal action or possible closure.
“The city department of Public Health conducted a rapid assessment and found that there is increase of mosquitoes, bed bugs and high infestation of rats and other insect vectors in most of the hotels, guest houses, lodging rooms and other dwelling areas within the city of Kisumu,” said Mr Abala Wanga, the Kisumu City Manager.
He pointed out that the premises were violating the Public Health Act Cap 242 and regulations by operating under insanitary conditions.
Mr Wanga revealed to the Nation that the mosquitoes had infested one of the biggest and popular three star hotels within the Kisumu CBD while the bed bugs were rampant in guest houses around Garissa Lodge, Downtown Kamas and Kondele area.
After inspection, the county government was not satisfied with the existence of the nuisance in the said premises.
Mr Wanga gave the owners of the said premises 14 days to abate the said nuisance and stop any further recurrence, which will elapse on February 9th.
“Failure to comply with the requirements of this notice may lead to legal action instituted against you without any further communications,” said Mr Wanga.
The owners of the buildings are required to carry out fumigation an or indoor residual spraying of their premises with appropriate and approved public health insecticide.
They are also to carry out de-ratting of rodents in these premises with appropriate and approved public health poisons.
Lodges are required to eradicate bedbugs by improving rigor of their control.
The infestation by the bed bugs and rodents is threatening to taint the stature the city had achieved of neatness and breath-taking design that has earned it the name ‘Yurop’. BY DAILY NATION