Kodiaga sewerage system to be modernized at shs 30M after locals cry about raw sewerage.
By Dickson Odhiambo.
March 5, 2019.
Kodiaga sewerage
system to be modernized at shs 30M after locals cry about raw sewerage.
THE Kenya Prisons Service Department will use an estimated
sh 30 million for the modernization and expansion of the sewerage system at
Kodiaga Prisons in Kisumu to help in proper treatment of the raw sewerage.
Commissioner General of Kenya Prisons Service Isaiah
Osugo says they have been on a fact finding mission to tour Kodiaga Prisons in
Kisumu after the media highlighted the plight of the area residents who have
claimed that the facility’s sewerage systems are interfering with them.
He says the funds will be used to ensure that the facility
is modernized to the required standards.
The locals have accused the Kodiaga Prisons of
emitting raw sewerage to a local river Saka thereby affecting their livelihoods.
Addressing the press after touring facility today, Osugo
said indeed the sewerage system of the facility needs proper rehabilitation having
been built around 1961 for a population of only 800 inmates and staffs.
Osugo says currently the prison has about 3000 inmates and
the number of staffs have too increased in terms of population thus prompting
the need to give the sewerage system at the facility a facelift.
“We have about 3000 inmates here because we have three
facilities that include Main Prison, Medium and the Women’s prison, our staffs
are here also with their families. With such a population, our sewerage
facility is overwhelmed and needs rehabilitation,” Osugo says.
The Kenya Prisons Boss says there is need to upgrade the
pipes which were installed around 1961 thereby needs to be expanded as well as constructing inlet and outlet chambers.
He adds that there is also need to replace the manholes covers
which most are missing as a result of being stolen.
“We also need to dislodge the lagoons as well as do a proper
fencing of the prison’s boundaries to keep off those who have been vandalizing the
property,” Osugo says.
The Kenya Prisons Service boss further says the officers at
the Facilities will enhance patrol once the rehabilitation and fencing is done
so as to minimize cases of vandalizing.
He says they have agreed on both short and long terms
measures so as to curb the issue.
“For short term measures, we need to buy the covers and may
be bring the pipes that works with the system and this will need about 6million
for this project,” Osugo further says.
Osugo says for the long term measures that require more
amount of money, he will discuss this with the Cabinet Secretary in charge of
Interior and the Principal Secretary for the relevant State department for
action.
Osugo says the Kodiaga Prison will have a users’ committee comprising
of the prisons officers, the locals, Nema and official from the Ministry of
Public works formed to see a way forward on how to co-exist peacefully because the
facility is not the only end users of the last product of the sewerage.
The national Environmental Management Authority was had
pressed to explain when was the last environmental Audit done for the facility.
Robert Orina from NEMA confirmed that indeed there has not
been any environmental Audit carried out for the facility.
Orina explains that the incident that happened recently
where the facility was accused of emitting the raw sewerage is something to do
with a bypass of sewerage from the facility’s sewerage system which spilled
into the surrounding and brought complain from members of the public.
Orina has commended the Kenya Prisons service for agreeing to
take necessary measures so as to correct the mess.
“I want to commend the Commissioner General of Kenya Prisons
service for showing the commitment because all along we have been receiving the
incidents from the community and we have been giving the improvement orders but
the orders without the major issues that have come up here the problem in the system
can still re-occur,” Orina says.
He says the four lagoons are okay but only the bypass of the
sewerage is the problem, adding that Nema will follow and ensure that all what
have been discussed as corrective measures are done as agreed.
Coordinator of Magnam Environmental Network Michael Otieno
Nyaguti says the Government should allocate enough funds for the proper rehabilitation
of the facility’s sewerage system.
He says the local community are not happy with the ever flowing
raw sewerage from the facility, adding that once it is modernized then the
facility should see a way of ensuring that even the last product is discharged
into River Saka which is normally polluted by the sewerage.
Nyaguti says if proper rehabilitation is not carried out at
the facility’s sewer systems then the local community will have to move to
court to seek legal redress about the matter.
ENDS.
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