By Dickens Wasonga in Kisumu.

President Emilio Mwai Kibaki was in Nyanza province to attend the burial, in Bondo of renowned politician and former cabinet minister Dr.William Odongo Omamo-aka ”Kaliech” but several kilometers away in Kisumu his presence was largely being felt.

To begin with, the streets of Kisumu,always chocking with hawkers and and the rowdy boda boda cyclists were extra-ordinarily clean on Saturday.

Even the rowdy matatus operators and the mortocyclists known for picking up passengers and dropping them anyhow and without any regard to traffic rules kept off the habit.

The streets of the lake side city which are always littered with all manner of wastes,and at times with over- flowing sewage, also got a brake.

All this efforts were put in place by the authorities in the town so that the head of state and his distinguished guests do not see the filth that the residents of ”Odhus” have had to brave almost everyday.

National Flags,very clean and new, dotted strategic locations within Kisumu’s Central Business District and went along way to boost the daylong cleanliness that the city received in honour of his excellency’s visit to the region.

On a typical day in this town,people going about their daily chores have had to negotiate albeit skillfully their way amongst the many traders who display their wares openly on the pavements and on the side- walks meant for the pedestrians.

For those driving private cars,the matter can prove quite a challenge. Tuk tuks park any- where and for those who usually drop to do a quick shopping on their way home,especially at the Nakumatt Mega plaza,these taxis become a real nuisance.

But all this was conspicuously absent all because the two principals were somewhere within the province and nothing could be allowed to go wrong.

What the town witnessed on Saturday was such a big blessing even for the wholesalers especially those operating along the busy Oginga Odinga street who recorded booming sales in the absence of the hawkers.

The one million dollar question now in the minds of many residents of this city is-must it take a visit by a top government official for the authorities to act or for them to bring order into the works?

Why should the authorities,especially the municipal council wait until a president or a prime minister come all the way from Nairobi for them to clean the streets,clear it of hawkers and only to reverts back to the usual chaotic scenes once the honorable guests leave town?

And in most cases,one doubts whether these prominent personalities really notice that a lot is done to bring sanity in places they visit whenever they make such visits?

In fact the president and his entourage hardly used the streets that the local authorities within the town were at pains to make smart a head of his visit.

Many Kisumu residents for example only heard from other passersby that the president and those accompanying him to Bondo,the rural home the late Dr. Omamo had actually gone by.

If it must take a visit by our high flying individuals to push the authorities to bring services to the people, then things must be terribly wrong within our systems.

But for the city residents and the business community,the president Kibaki’s decision to go to Kapiyo,in Bondo to pay his last respect to the fallen ”Kaliech” was such a huge blessing. They now look forward to frequent visits by the head of state.

ENDS.