By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Kenema City Council has unveiled its development plans for 2021 while highlighting successes and challenges of 2020.
Addressing journalists at the council’s end-of-year briefing at the Kenema city conference hall, Mayor Thomas Karim Baio said the council was able to rehabilitate two markets to improve the business environment. He said that among other things they also constructed twenty-two culverts and managed solid waste well in 2020.
The culvert, he said, “was meant to link new communities to the centre of the city since the city is expanding day by day. This is in line with strives to help mitigate the rate of road accidents on deplorable roads connecting to the city centre,’’ he said.
The mayor said waste management had cost the council billions of Leones last year, despite the low revenues occasioned by COVID-19 and the late disbursement of devolved funds by the central government.
Despite the challenges encountered, he said the council would henceforth construct two Peripheral Health Units every year within the city.
“We want to stop spending on private buildings that are used as health centres for our people, by constructing two as a council. Council has decided to provide an electronic stand board for the main entrance at Bandama to Kenema city come 2021 through partnership. Council will build a metro police office for effective service delivery for the first time,’’ he said.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Administrator of the Kenema City Council Joseph Gando said the council had secured the European Union (EU) grant.
“We have signed the document for the EU grant and it will be effective next year [2021],” he said.
The grant according to Gando is worth a 3.7 million Euro to support various projects in the council.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online
