County Government of Laikipia

Lighting has become a critical essential for people to carry out their activities for some extended hours because of the economic pressure. The County Government of Laikipia has for the past five years installed thousands of street lights along the roads, especially in all urban centers in the county to facilitate more trading hours.

The structural design and installment technique of the lights have been done suitably to benefit as many people as possible. Each light has 125 watts, protruding 1 meter facing the road and a distance of 30 meters between the light posts. In places that are highly populated like the marketplaces and bus stages, a higher post stand with 4-dimensional lights are installed at a centered position to give light all around the area. Solar enabled street lights launched in July 2020 are economizing the usage of electric power by serving the times when power is lost and places that have scarcity of power.

The security and economic development provide reasons for the government installing the lights and these are bearing fruits as the residents show their appreciation of the immense impact of the lighting projects in their daily lives.

Traders can now work past 7 pm without insecurity issues as used to be the case in the past. Cases of livestock and material theft have significantly gone down.

Nowadays I run my business until 8:30 and I go home without any worry of being robbed of my belongings.said Reuben Mwangi, a businessman at Nanyuki market.

The transport business industry is also enjoying these advantages as they are economically promoted through people moving at early hours in the morning and late at night to complete their businesses. They can move people to their desired locations in the centers of Laikipia with ease with no cases of being attacked.

My boda boda business from 7 pm into the night is really good. I take customers where they want with the guarantee of safety.said Alex Mwema, a boda boda rider in Rumuruti.

The Department of Roads, Public works, lands, and energy has constantly been working to ensure the street lights are added while maintaining the already installed ones. Though there have been numerous cases of theft of these lights, measures are underway to curb the menace.