The Kitui County Assembly has put the County Executive under pressure over persistent failures of solar-powered street lights and weak enforcement of the Kitui County River Basins Sand Utilization and Conservation Act, 2024, amid growing concerns over public safety, business operations and environmental conservation.
The concerns emerged on Tuesday, November 3, when Energy, Environment and Natural Resources CECM Richard Mwendandu, accompanied by Chief Officer Henry Nyamai, appeared before a joint sitting of the Assembly Committees on Appointments, Liaison, and Environment, Energy and Minerals Investments at Zombe Huduma Centre. The appearance followed a statement sought by Kanyangi Ward MCA and Majority Leader Bonface Mukwate Katula over non-functional solar street lights, particularly in shopping centres across Kanyangi Ward.
Mwendandu attributed the widespread failure of the lighting systems partly to vandalism, revealing that the Ministry was shifting towards installing integrated security lights designed to be less vulnerable to destruction. He also announced plans to engrave county-managed solar street lights to improve identification, ownership and accountability. However, he acknowledged that installations undertaken by different county departments had complicated maintenance, with uncertainty over which department was responsible for particular lighting systems.
The CECM also admitted that the County Government was facing difficulties enforcing the 2024 Sand Conservation Act, particularly in controlling illegal sand harvesting across river basins. He told the committee that the Ministry was developing a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Police Service to strengthen enforcement operations and support County Enforcement Officers in tackling illegal activities. Members, however, questioned why the county had invested resources in enacting legislation but failed to ensure its effective implementation nearly three years after its enactment.
Speaker Kevin Kinengo Katisya challenged the Ministry to move beyond assurances and establish clear enforcement structures to protect the county’s natural resources. The Ministry pledged to replace faulty solar street lights with integrated security lighting systems, raising expectations among residents and business owners who have endured poorly lit shopping centres. The Assembly’s message was clear: residents need functioning street lights and effective protection of their river basins, not merely policies and promises
