Kajiado County residents have sued their county government for failing to deliver essential services despite the taxes that they collect.
The petitioners, Julius Otieno and Nelson Mutai, have listed the county government, Governor Joseph ole Lenku and Kajiado County Assembly as respondents in a petition filed in the High Court of Kenya in Kajiado.
Among issues the residents are raising is abandoning of roads in the region by contractors, which they claim can lead to respiratory illnesses, inflammation and serious lung conditions, and poor brain development in growing children.
“The dust ingested (is) deleterious (detrimental) to health has (will) result in both short and long term silica-related health issues,” part of the petition read.
One of the road passes through government schools in Olekasasi in Rongai Ward, which has more than five thousand school children.
The petitioners also claim the county government abandoned Ole Pasha ECDE classes, leading to a loss of taxpayers’ money. The ECDE had doors and windows installed, but was abandoned and the fittings were vandalized.
The learners in the centre are also suffering due to dust from Olekasasi Road.
The petitioners argue that they have pleaded with the county government to fix the premises, but all they have received are promises which they have failed to fulfill.
Also, they say, no sooner had the tarmacking of Hellena Olekasasi Road through Ongata Rongai begun than the machines left the site after the commissioning by Lenku. Tragically, a student of Olekasasi Secondary School died while crossing a bridge that connects to the school.
Other services the county is sued for include damaged or absent sewer lines and failure to provide a clean healthy environment.
“In a show of bad stewardship and utter disregard to taxpayers in ceremonies, the governor has used taxpayers’ money to fly into and out of the constituency rather than use the money for the abandoned and wasting roads,” the petition further read partly.
The petitioners also pointed out that they have exhausted all avenues of redress, including peaceful demonstrations and engagement with the respondents without success.
They now want the court to issue a conservatory order to restrain the county government from levying taxes until the hearing and determination of the petition.
They also want an order compelling the respondents to provide essential services and infrastructure to the residents of Kajiado, and the national government to cease allocating funds to the county for failure to provide services.
Besides, they want the court to direct that the county utilizes tax revenues in a prudent and responsible manner in accordance with Article 202 of the constitution.
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