A section of Kisumu residents have complained of increased food joints that they say pose health problems and exposes them to diseases.
They say the sites where food is prepared in stalls built on top of sewage lines had increased in the last few months.
Ann Omondi, who operates an M-Pesa shop at the main bus stage, said that the county government should take bold measures to rid the town from unhygienic food.
“If the county public health department was tough enough to ensure that no joint is opened near sewages or any other unhygienic place, then we will not be having such issues,” she said.
30-year-old Brian Ochieng, a driver who plies the Kisumu-Nairobi road said that the sprouting food joints was going to hurt tourism. He argued that lack of definite action may be because of the political connotation that such action might cause.
“The concern that this might be used for politics is just dumbfounding. We need hygiene and not use of our health as a political tool,” Ochieng said.
However, county executive for health Dr Elizabeth Ogaja said that the issue was being addressed and will be a thing of the past soon.
“We are working on putting this as part of the county policy as a long term solution that will help us see the eyesore that is unhygienic food joints done away with once and for all,” she said.
Dr Ogaja added that the county government was looking at proposals to have solar powered food stalls given to eatery owners to ensure that they meet international standards.
The official said that the plans were part of a new county policy that her ministry were working on. She said that her office and that of the city manager had initiated consultations to see how food inspection can be kept up to standards.