Lodwar, December 22nd, 2025 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

Lodwar Municipality is taking steps to support local organizations, including Saccos, self-help groups, and Village Savings and Lending Associations (VSLAs), by creating a conducive environment for them to operate.

Benjamin Tukei, the Municipal Manager, said that the move aims to boost their participation in Municipality-led initiatives like the ongoing greening initiative supported by the World Bank through the Kenya Urban Areas Support Program (KUSP).

Speaking during a citizens’ engagement forum, a quarterly exercise that gives the public an opportunity to hold the municipality management accountable for their interventions, Manager Tukei said that the increasing number of grassroot organizations called for the need to tap into their expertise for the benefit of the municipality residents.

“We must accept that grassroot organizations are quickly becoming an indispensable part of the Municipality’s population. In order to benefit from them, we intend to create an enabling environment for them to operate and, take part in our activities,” he explained.

Residents lauded the move, describing the intention as a welcome action in ensuring inclusion of such groups in the management of municipality affairs.

The resolution was discussed and passed in during two separate meetings with residents of the municipality drawn from Kanamkemer Ward villages and Lodwar Township ward villages, forming the Municipality area.

John Elain, a Boda boda official and a member of a Kanamkemer based VSLA said that they always wanted to take part in town clean up and tree planting.

“This move now makes it possible for us to know who to consult when we want to conduct clean up exercise, plant trees and sensitize the public on environmental safety,” he said.