The county government of Murang’a has launched a project aimed to upgrade roads among other infrastructure within major local towns.

The project dubbed smart cities will see various infrastructure within the towns get a facelift and expanded to accommodate increasing population.

Launching the project on Friday in Kangari town in Kigumo, Governor Irungu Kang’ata observed roads and streets within the towns will be upgraded to bitumen standards.

He said tarmacking of the roads will facilitate easy movement and boost business activities within the towns.

‘We have embarked on tarmacking roads and improving other infrastructure within major towns in this county. In the near future due to rural urban migration, the population in the towns will go up thus the need for more and better infrastructure,’ he said.

The towns earmarked to get the facelift include Gatura, Kabati, Maragua, Kiriaini, Kangema, Kangari and Murang’a town.

In every financial year, Kang’ata said the county government will be upgrading infrastructure of one major town in every of the six constituencies.

The project will also include beautifying the towns and providing security lights to enable traders to do their businesses for more hours.

Kang’ata noted the project will be funded by revenue collected locally saying improved infrastructure will motivate business people.

Kangari MCA Joseph Macharia said the project will see increased business activities in the towns adding poor infrastructures have forced traders to crowd and do their businesses along the main road.

‘Traders are avoiding doing their businesses in interior parts of the towns due to lack of better roads, this project will not only boost existing businesses but also create new opportunities for traders,’ he added.

Kangari, Macharia said has been facing a challenge of uncollected garbage stating that the project will improve cleanliness of the trading centre.

Meanwhile Kang’ata lauded progress of modernizing ECDE centres saying construction of new classrooms for early education children is going on well in various parts of the county.

The sector, he observed, has been neglected for a long time saying new ECDE centres will ensure young children study in a clean and better environment.

Source: Kenya News Agency