Residents to help with development approvals in Kitengela

Investors and residents of Kitengela looking to undertake construction and other development works will now have to also seek approval from the Registered Resident Association in the town.

The directive was issued by the Minister of Lands and Physical planning in Kajiado county Mr. Hamilton Parseina.

Residents of the town have been grappling with a wide range of challenges; poor waste disposal and management, irregular and illegal developments that do not adhere to town laws.

Some of the residents told Wananchi Reporting that mountains of garbage sitting on the sides of major roads had become an eyesore in the town.

The affected areas have been identified as Kitengela, Ngong, Kajiado and Ongata Rongai all within Kajiado county.

“The roads often get worse during rainy season where a large number of landlords release sewage to flow with the rainwater,” said Joseph Kamau, a resident of Kitengela town.

Parseina has asked that henceforth, the Registered Resident Association – registered in the three municipalities of Kajiado town, Kitengela and Ngong – be involved in the clearing process.

This means that a letter of clearance from the Resident Association would become part of important requirement for those seeking approvals and clearances.

“The intention is to allow citizens of Kitengela through their association to also have a say and a contribution in bringing development to the county,” said Parseina.

“We want to work with residents because they are the ones on the ground. Going forward we must get a concurrence of resident association when doing development approvals”.

Registered Resident Association chair Francis Parsimei welcomed the move – saying that they are committed as residents of the county to change the attitude and performance by creating a better environment that will lead the county to get more investors, create jobs, and see that the government generate more income from taxes.