Ahero has attained a town status. Kisumu County Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, who spoke during the unveiling of the town and said that the county government has allocated Sh 15m for the upgrade plan.
Ahero is located 25km to the south east of the lakeside City of Kisumu. The centre is located at the junction of the Nairobi-Kisumu (A104) and the Kisii-Kisumu (A1) highways, making it a vibrant economic hub serving residents of Kisii, Homa Bay and Nandi counties.
Ahero becomes the second town to be elevated to a town in Kisumu County after Maseno. The county plans to upgrade five urban centres into towns. Others on the queue are Muhoroni, Katito and Kombewa. The trading centre is being unveiled under the new Urban Cities Act as a town having met the 10,000 population threshold.
Planned upgrade works
The funds will be spent on construction of a 400-metre road network within Ahero town. The works will involve upgrading of the road network and improvement of drainage systems. It will also see the residents enjoy improved security and a 24-hour economy once 35 street lights stretching for a kilometre are installed to light up the quiet rural centre into activity.
The county government also plans to put up a solid waste management system, which will involve composting of organics into fertiliser as well as recover and recycle plastics and glass into building blocks.
“Ahero is a landmark town with interesting features and a booming economy. It’s a farming town surrounded by lush green rice fields and the great Nyando agricultural belt teeming with sugar cane plantations. Kenya co-hosted the World Cities Day during which delegates acknowledged the need for building resilient cities and towns as drivers in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, consultations for planning for the integrated development plans are progressing to unlock the potential of the urban centre,” said Prof Nyong’o.
