No electricity at Kyuso town on market day

 At a fuel station along Mwingi road, a  Kyuso petrol attendant shows Mwingi Times the current price of petrol as Sh125. Diesel retails at Sh110. Both sell more than one US Dollar (107.8706 buying and 108.0706 selling).

It is on Saturday, a market day. There are few people in the market. In marikiti, clothes sellers erect their stalls thinking how the day will be. There is no electricity in this town surrounded by big hills. On the one side is Gai and the other is Kyuso.  Dull and sleepy.

Kenya Power is responsible for supply of hydroelectricity in Kenya. It (dis)connects residents but sometimes without notice. Such as this one.

We pass by 5 youths playing draughts, a game of bottles.

Rogue player

They yell at a friend who is good at breaking rules and cheating them. He had attempted to make a move of three holes including one with two bottle tops standing next to each other. They say no.

For the next half an hour, apart from watching who is not observing the rules of the game, a Bodaboda rider tips them when police make rounds looking to arrest who is not wearing face mask. He warns them that they should wear their masks correctly not at the chin or carrying them in their hands waiting to see police so that they wear-as if it is the police benefiting from masking up.

When noon arrives, we go to a local to eat lunch. By coincidence, a county revenue staff arrives carrying books of receipts. He signals the waiter who calls the owner to pay. He then goes out wearing his flowing coloured coat.

Despite being the seat of power in Mwingi North, Kyuso lacks basic essential services. We are meant to understand that there are two bus parks. One near Alimatt supermarket and the other opposite KCB bank. The one at KCB serves Tseikuru and other lower towns while the Allimatt one serves Mwingi and other urban areas like Kamuw’ongo.

It is the dawn of tarmacking in this famous road known for rough ride. The tarmacking left Kamuw’ongo and work has reached Kyuso and a few kilometres past.

Residents expect the tarmacking will ease their infrastructure pain in the back when travelling.

Since it is rain season, most have planted but rains haven’t picked yet hope is still palpable.

Many still use tractors and cow-drawn ploughs to till their land. It is cheaper to hire a tractor than a cow plough.

Apart from solving the transport problems, they expect availing of clean water to their homes at a cheap price. Most of available streams dry up during drought and are salty.

One pain they have to bear like all other Kenyans is rising cost of living due to increased price of fuel. This is linked to the Sh256Billion IMF loan whose terms and conditions included raising the prices of fuel.

Story by MUSYOKA NGUI.