Residents of Kendu Bay Old Town in Homa Bay County have welcomed the creation of new administrative units, saying the move will bring government services closer to the people and ease access to essential registration documents.
The development follows the Government’s decision to create new administrative units comprising one location and two sub-locations in the area, which is predominantly occupied by members of the Muslim community.
Residents said they had for a long time experienced challenges accessing services such as national identity cards (IDs) and other registration documents.
They attributed some of the difficulties to the absence of administrators from within the Muslim community who could easily identify residents seeking official introduction letters required during registration processes.
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims Secretary Nuhu Masoud said some residents faced difficulties when applying for IDs because they were required to obtain letters from chiefs who did not know them personally.
“When applying for IDs, applicants would be asked to get letters from their chiefs. Since the chief was not a Muslim and did not know the people who approached him for letters, they would decline to approve the application,” he said.
Masoud said successive chiefs who had administered the area were not from within the community, adding that Kendu Bay Old Town had existed for about a century without having a Muslim chief.
Pius Juma Aduwi has been appointed Chief of Maguti Mjini Location, while Harun Omar and Shadrack Minda were appointed Assistant Chiefs for Kanyasoro Ali and Ndiany sub-locations respectively.
Residents expressed optimism that the new administrators would improve service delivery and make it easier for residents to obtain official letters and access other Government services.
The creation of the new administrative units follows a petition by community members to the Ministry of Interior in 2023, seeking the establishment of new units to improve access to Government services.
Meanwhile, Mzee Nyandiko Ongadi, a member of the Luo Council of Elders and a resident of Kendu Bay, urged the new administrators to address drug and alcohol abuse in the area.
Ongadi said the town was notorious for chang’aa dens frequented by local youth, calling for their closure while urging authorities to help operators find alternative sources of livelihood.
“The dens should be closed. Those who operate them should also be given alternative sources of income because I believe they use chang’aa brewing to feed their families,” he said.
He also called for a public baraza to address emerging issues and urged the new administrators to vet some people who had recently settled in the old town.
Women leader Nur Aziz said the establishment of a chief’s office would also enhance security, noting that the area experienced cases of gender-based violence and teenage pregnancies.
“Having administrators closer to us will empower the community as they will follow up on different cases to ensure perpetrators are jailed and survivors get justice,” she said.
By Davis Langat.
