By Charles Mureithi
County governments should prioritize value addition of both cash and food crops to enhance local and national economies.
Kirinyaga gubernatorial aspirant Peter Njuguna Gitau while launching his bid across the county on Saturday decried the biting poverty in a county with immense potential.
He will be contesting the seat on Party of National Unity (PNU) political party.
He pledged to construct seven factories, each for every farm produce grown in the area including rice, coffee, macadamia, bananas, tomatoes, avocadoes and French beans.
“Why should we sell a whole bunch of bananas at a mere hundred shillings while a 100grams sachet of crisps retails at Shs110?”, posed the former Mwea Member of Parliament.
“We shall set aside Shs100 million for each factory that will process our produce and create hundreds of jobs for our youth who are wrongly dismissed as idlers and drunkards,” pledged Gitau.
The launch that coincided with the party’s mobilisation in the county took the caravan across all the four constituencies of Mwea, Ndia, Kirinyaga central and Gichugu drawing huge crowds.
Gitau and his entourage visited Sagana, Kagio, Baricho, Kagumo, Kerugoya, Kianyaga, DeFathas, Kimbimbi and Wang’uru towns.
Party National chairman David Kamau urged residents to elect it’s candidates in various seats as it proved it’s worth through its most distinguished member, retired President Mwai Kibaki who lifted the country’s economy to unparalleled levels during his tenure.
Laikipia County governor Nderitu Muriithi who is also the Azimio la Umoja elections Board chairman pledged to have candidates with unquestionable integrity whose guiding principle for election is service adding that service delivery can only be guaranteed where corruption is not tolerated.
Former Mwea MP Alfred Mwangi Nderitu urged the government to shield rice farmers from cheap low quality rice so that they can reap maximum benefits from their sweat.
” We should remove brokers the way we ejected National Irrigation Board that had turned us into slaves having to acquire permits to buy our own produce “, fumed the fiery former legislator.
Others who were entourage included the party’s Deputy Organising Secretary TM kariuki.
Yesterday, the team took the party popularisation tour to Nyeri County where they toured Mathira, Mukurwe-ini, Othaya, Tetu and Nyeri Town constituencies.
Nyeri aspiring leaders led by Peter Maina Munyiri who seeking to be the next governor hosted the team whose tour started with a church service at Victor’s Chapel in Karatina town. The service was led by Bishop William Wachira who called on political leaders to conduct peaceful campaigns.
Felix Njenga