Residents of Chuka town in Tharaka Nithi County are up in arms after a section of newly refurbished roads in the town were named after President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto.
The locals questioned the criteria used in naming roads in the area after the two Jubilee leaders, their Senator Kithure and area Member of Parliament.
According to the residents, they were not consulted but only woke up to find signposts bearing the leaders’ names yet there were heroes and heroines who would have been accorded the honour.
“We have heroes and heroines in our community like the Mau Mau veterans who should be honoured instead of very young politicians,” one resident stated.
Another complained that the labelling exercise, which started on Saturday, would have also sought the opinion of business people in the town.
The same sentiments were reiterated by County Communication officer Douglas Kaunda and Chuka town administrator Boniface Muriithi who denied being part of the team that renamed the streets.
In response to the issue, Mr Kindiki declined to accept the offer claiming that he had not been informed before one of the roads was named after him.
“I am surprised to learn that a road has been named after me in Chuka Town. While I appreciate the good intentions of those who made the decision, they should have formally consulted me first. I haven’t yet made enough sacrifices to our community’s development to warrant a road named in my honour,” wrote Kindiki on Facebook.
Defending the decision, the chairperson of Chuka Igambang’ombe Development Association (CIDA) which participated in the naming exercise, explained that they accorded the honour to leaders who contributed to tarmacking of the roads.