Mtaa Wangu recently carried out a poll asking Nakuru residents what course of action they take whenever they have issues within their hood.

The options given to choose from were venting on social media, addressing the issues during community meetings, involving local authorities such as a chief or MCA and the last option, doing nothing.

Out of those that voted, the highest response recorded was doing nothing which was chosen by 40.6 percent of the voters.

Read: Dear Governor Susan Kihika, your people have spoken

The results of this poll were quite surprising and I had to take to the streets of Nakuru to ask various residents why they feel like they can't do anything whenever issues arise in their hoods.

The first resident I talked to was Shabab resident, Cynthia Ndeta who shared, "Since I don't have long term plans of living within this area, I haven't been actively involved in community affairs and hence keep to myself."

Another Shabab resident, Felix Odero shares, "The main reason why I do nothing is because I don't know the procedure to take to report these matters."

Seconding Felix's opinion, Jane Wangari shared that the main reason why people do nothing is lack of knowledge.

Jane Wangari, during an interview on January 17, 2024.

Photo credit: DILIGENCE ODONGO/MTAA WANGU

The Greensteds resident notes, "Many of our youth aren't in touch with community issues leading to the lack of knowledge of the challenges faced. Furthermore, even after knowing, they either don't know how to go about seeking help or some of them couldn't be bothered."

CBD boda boda operator Abel Koskei, however, holds differing opinions.

He notes, "For some of us, our local leaders aren't as accessible as we'd like them to be. Plus, with the current state of the economy, most of us are too busy trying to put food on our table to involve ourselves with community issues."

Abel additionally noted that unless the issues directly touch on safety, he thinks most residents wouldn't be compelled to take any action.

Closing off this discussion, Joel Muchiri, a resident of London noted a lot of points mainly citing prior bad experiences.

Joel Muchiri, a resident in London estate during an interview on January 17, 2024.

Photo credit: DILIGENCE ODONGO/MTAA WANGU

The businessman shares, "In my opinion, many people result to doing nothing since after reporting the issues, either nothing is done by the leaders or the procedure to even get to these leaders is at times long and tedious."

Related: Nakuru residents turn to 'Neema ya Bwana' to survive Njaanuary

As the discussion comes to an end Joel additionally noted that for some estates within Nakuru, the 'ubinafsi' nature results in every member of the community focusing on their own business.

diligenceodongo@gmail.com

Nakuru residents reveal why they feel helpless in addressing issues within their hood

Author Spotlight

Diligence Odongo