Residents of Mwanda village in Toloso location Bungoma West District  have expressed concern over the growing state of insecurity in the area and called for scaling up of efforts to confront the security challenges saying if not, it is a hindrance to development in the region.

Traders at Mwanda trading center said they are operating under fear saying incidents of shop breaking are on the increase while blaming the police for laxity.

Led by Mrs. Jennipher Masafu, a trader on the market pointed out that majority of the business people have moved elsewhere after their shops were broken into and their valuables taken away.

“It is sad that some people are forced to carry their goods to their houses during the night because there is no security here at all,” Mrs. Masafu blamed.

The area residents have now appealed to the government through the provincial administration to deploy more officers in order to provide an enabling environment for them to conduct their business without fear.

On unavailability of water, the residents blamed the political leadership for insensitivity pointing out that during the dry season; they are forced to walk long distances in search of the important commodity for domestic purposes.

‘’This region has been neglected for too long, in fact the issue of water is one of the major cause of domestic violence because women spent a lot of time in search of water,” Mrs. Masafu said.

Patrick Bunyasi, an area resident disclosed that the issue of water has been used as a campaign strategy in the area for too long but up to date nothing has been done to salvage the residents from the water menace.

“We rest our hopes in the county government because our former elected leaders have failed us, the county government come next year should consider providing us with piped water here, because owing to the hilly and rocky terrain it’s difficult to dig bore holes here,” Mr. Bunyasi urged.

Addressing the media at Mwanda trading center the residents complained of bad road network in the region insisting that the region lacks even a single tarmac road.

“This region is agriculturally potential but the road network is very poor, during the rainy season, the roads here are almost impassable but our leaders have given a deaf year to our cries,” Maurice Masika, a bodaboda raider blamed.

Masika said that all stakeholders in the region should come forth and find possible ways of improving the road network the entire Bungoma West district to fasten the means of transport, more so transportation of farm input to the market.