Residents of Mutura village in Gatundu North, Kiambu County are up in arms with their local leaders and Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) over longstanding failure to connect them with electricity.
They decried that despite KPLC having erected a transformer to connect their homes with power, the power supplier has prolonged the said connections leaving them to struggle in darkness.
“They installed a transformer here a year ago but power has never been connected to our homes. After the installation, some of us did wiring in our homes but have remained in the same state of darkness like before,” John Munga, a resident said.
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Children in the interior village have been bearing the brunt as they are forced to study using tin lamps and candles, a situation they said has been putting them at the risk of contracting eye diseases.
“The performance of our children has continued to dwindle as not all of them can survive to study using candles and tin lamps. We are spending a lot on buying paraffin yet we can see a transformer in the village,” Monica Muthoni, a mother of three said.
The angered locals said that insecurity has augmented in the area as a result of darkness forcing even men to return home earlier than before.
They pointed an accusing finger at local leaders for failing in their advocacy and lobbying roles.
The locals, most of whom are tea, cabbages, potatoes and fruits farmers, regretted that politicians have been using darkness in the area as a political tool to woo them with fake promises of ending their woes once they assume positions of power.
“It’s sad that power might only be connected next year as we near the elections. Darkness is now a special political tool that leaders might use to woo us to vote in their favour," Maina Mwangi, a resident, stated.
They urged all the relevant agencies to promptly intervene and address the situation that has caused them huge losses.
