Power outage
A two-week power outage in Masalani town and the larger Ijara Constituency in general following flooding by river Tana has led to deterioration of service delivery by national and county government departments.
According to Masalani town community leader Abdullahi Abdi, the water sector, health, education, security and business enterprises have been affected especially vegetable and milk vendors, cyber cafe, garage and three petrol stations within Masalani town. The vegetable and milk vendors have lost business since their produce cannot be refrigerated due to lack of power.
Adan Ali, the board chairman of Masalani sub county referral hospital said services are paralysed since various health sectors such as laboratory services, maternity cannot function forcing medical staff to refer patients to Garissa County referral hospital. Alternatively, said Ali, the sick opt to visit private clinics within Masalani town or private pharmacies and chemists where they obtain across the counter medication.
Power outage has affected Masalani town and the entire Ijara constituency following the flooding of river Tana and residents have appealed to Ijara MP Abdi Ali Sheikhow to come to the aid of his electorate. Pic by Dahir
Mrs Furaha Abdullahi, who runs a cosmetic shop in Masalani town said several weddings which were to take place had been suspended due to lack of electricity at barber shops and beauty and cosmetics shops to render beauty services to the bride and the bride groom and their attendants before the wedding ceremony.
Additionally, some 600 students at Yusuff Haji girls’ secondary school have been unable to attend night studies and spend the night in dark dormitories without power, risking the girls’ security.
The residents appealed to Ijara MP Abdi Ali Sheikhow, Garissa County governor Nadhif Jama to come to the aid of the institution and buy a standby generator to ensure power supply in case of power blackout just like in the case of Shurie Secondary School, Hulugho girls’ and Ijara Boys’s schools who have standby generators.
The Medical Officer of Health Dr Abdimalik Ibrahim appealed to the county government to hasten and buy a standby generator for the Masalani sub county referral hospital to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.
Similarly, Ijara Sub County water coordinator Mr Noor Mohamed Abdi called on the County government to provide a generator at the water intake in order to pump water to Masalani town the sub county refferal hospital.
Contacted for comment Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) officer in charge of Masalani Silas Limo said the road between Boji to Masalani bridge had been cut off and three electric plots have gone down forcing them to switch off the power as conductors of power poles had been destroyed.
Mr Limo appealed to the customers to be patient as KPLC engineers are working round the clock to rectify the situation despite the road being muddy and the heavy poles.
He said they have to use a crane to move the power poles but no vehicle can maneuver the muddy water as the river has burst its bank towards the Eastern side in Tana River County. He said they are waiting for a support team from Malindi who will assist them to reconnect the power to the town.
Meanwhile, residents have resorted to using torches at night and solar energy panels from Delight solar company, while financially capable businesses have bought back up generators especially petrol stations in Masalani town.
