Nairobi News

Hustle

Why Langata Road street lights will remain unfixed for much longer


By Evelyne Musambi

The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) has revealed that there is no budget to repair vandalised street lights along Langata Road.

The recently installed street lights were vandalised by people the authority suspects used high tech equipment to snip away the head lights leaving naked poles, and in some cases cutting off the entire pole.

As a result, the section of the road between Langata Cemetery and Galleria Mall has been plunged into darkness.

VANDALISM

“We have reported the vandalism to the police who are currently investigating. We also need to sensitise the public because this is destruction of public property that has serious ramifications,” Kura communication manager John Cheboi told Nairobi News.

Mr Cheboi said the authority now has to budget afresh for the repairs which will take a while. He urged the public to help in securing such property as delays in repairs directly affect road users due to insecurity.

“It is a serious matter as lack of lighting in that road may lead to increased insecurity even as we seek a budget to repair the lights. We need to be vigilant as road users and help secure public property by reporting such vandals to the police to have them apprehended,” he said.

ONLINE COMPLAINTS

The lights used in street lighting can sometimes be sold in the black market to light up private compounds and may end up in minor roads as well.

Online, users complained about the vandalism.

@Dshiku tweeted, “#KURA. The person stealing street lights along Langata road should be arrested before all the lights disappear. May their generation be cursed.”

@Ongachi added, “My observation that in Langata road between Bomas of Kenya and Langata cemetery slowly street lights are disappearing could someone be having a market somewhere.”