Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii has ordered an assessment to establish the damage caused by the ongoing heavy rains on roads in the county.
Bii said roads within Eldoret City had also been affected, after excess water flowing to lower areas created significant stormwater challenges.
“The heavy rains have caused serious damage to road infrastructure, affecting transportation and roadworks across the county—especially within Eldoret City’s CBD,” Bii said.
The governor inspected areas prone to stormwater problems and directed the Department of roads to manage the situation effectively despite the ongoing heavy rains.
Under his Nguzo number six on roads and infrastructure development, Bii said he had outlined key focus areas aimed at enhancing infrastructure to spur economic growth.
“I have directed relevant officers to carry out the necessary assessment and plan interventions that will ensure quick repair of the damaged roads,” he said.
He spoke on Thursday after a meeting with the Roads CEC Abraham Serem and other senior officials.
Serem and chief officer Geoffrey Tanui later engaged representatives from the Kenya Rural Roads Authority, Kenya National Highways Authority and Kenya Urban Roads Authority to discuss solutions to the city’s perennial stormwater problems.
During the meeting, the stakeholders agreed on a multi-agency approach to address the issues, focusing on improving the road network, developing bypasses, creating new urban plans and enhancing transport systems to ensure all roads remain passable.
North Rift KeNHA director, Eng Philemon Kipkoech, noted that stormwater had become a menace not only to drainage systems but also to other developments.
“We have also faced traffic management challenges within Eldoret City. With its upgrade to city status, traffic volumes have increased significantly and we are working to find better solutions to decongest the city,” he said.
Kura’s assistant director for the North region, Eng Richard Yagam, emphasised their focus on stormwater management, tackling the effects of solid waste on drainage systems and fostering collaboration to resolve the identified challenges.
“We have discussed regulatory approaches to help implement solutions, including developing an integrated masterplan for the city, enforcing regulations and strengthening teamwork across agencies to make Eldoret a better city,” he said.
The county has planned to use over Sh2 billion on infrastructure projects this financial year as Bii’s administration targets good roads to stimulate economic growth.
The allocation is one of the largest in the 2025/26 budget totalling to Sh10.1 billion for the county which was unveiled a week ago.
Serem has affirmed the county’s commitment to fast-tracking the implementation and ensuring quality delivery of road projects awarded to contractors.
“Governor Bii has prioritised infrastructure in this year’s budget because it’s a major catalyst for development in all other sectors including agriculture,” Serem said.
