A petitioner has issued a 48-hour demand to the Kisumu County Government, the Kisumu City Board and city management over widespread failures of streetlights and floodlights, citing public safety crisis.
In a demand letter dated June 18, 2026, lawyer Joshua Nyamori warned that he will pursue legal action if authorities fail to address what he describes as a growing public safety crisis.
Through his law firm, Joshua Odhiambo Nyamori & Advocates, Nyamori said the prolonged breakdown of public lighting infrastructure across the city had exposed residents to insecurity and infringed on their constitutional rights.
The latest move comes days after the lawyer sought disclosure of public housing assets in Milimani Estate, escalating scrutiny of governance and accountability within the county administration.
Nyamori said non-functional streetlights had left many neighbourhoods in darkness, increasing the risk of crime and threatening the safety of residents, traders, students and women.
“Street lighting is not ornamental infrastructure. In a dense urban environment, it is safety-supporting infrastructure,” he said in the letter.
He argued that the collapse of public lighting systems creates conditions that enable criminal activity and undermine normal urban life.
According to the demand notice, the lighting crisis has been linked to a combination of factors, including unpaid electricity bills, power disconnections, vandalism, inadequate maintenance and weak accountability mechanisms.
The campaign forms part of the broader Kisumu Rise initiative Rescue, Inclusion, Safety and Economic Renewal which seeks to push for improved public services and enhanced urban security.
Speaking to The Focus Paper on Thursday, Nyamori said the letter constituted a formal demand and notice of intention to file a public interest constitutional petition should the county fail to take corrective action.
Under the timelines outlined in the notice, the county is required within 48 hours to disclose which public lighting accounts have been disconnected or are subject to billing disputes, and to identify the officers responsible for oversight and reporting.
Within seven days, the county is expected to provide an emergency restoration report detailing immediate interventions and coordination efforts with agencies including Kenya Power and security authorities.
The lawyer further demanded that within 14 days the county publish a comprehensive emergency public lighting framework, including a ward-by-ward restoration schedule and a public mechanism for reporting faults.
The administration of Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o and city management have also been given 21 days to provide full documentary disclosure on the state of public lighting infrastructure, including functionality audits, electricity arrears and records relating to lighting contracts and maintenance.
Nyamori said the proposed court petition would seek orders compelling the county government to implement a time bound restoration programme and establish a sustainable maintenance framework.
“Kisumu cannot be allowed to remain a city where public lighting infrastructure stands idle while residents are attacked in darkness and families bury loved ones because the city failed to keep its lights on,” he said.
The demand follows an earlier notice concerning the management of public housing assets in Milimani Estate, where Nyamori questioned the absence of a clean audit and raised concerns over the stewardship of public resources.
The county government had not publicly responded to the latest demand by the time of publication.
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