President William Ruto addressing Maua residents
By Dennis Dibondo
President William Ruto went with a basket full of development projects during his Meru County tour yesterday .
The President who is touring Mount Kenya for the first time since former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was impeached last year was on a mission to woo the mountain to back him in the remainder of his five year term and beyond.
At the same time, President Ruto said he has political friendship with Meru and the larger Mount Kenya and will not abandon that friendship he promised not to isolate Mount Kenya in his administration projects.
He started his tour in Maua town where he launched the sewerage system, promised KSh140 million for the Maua sewerage system and KSh280 million for construction of the Maua modern market.
“We had planned to allocate Sh50 million initialy but I said that will be too little so we added more money,” he disclosed.
He said in Athiru a market worth KSh56 million is almost complete. “In Mutuati we are building another market worth Sh200 million and three more in Laare, Kianjai and Mikinduri towns,” he said.
President Ruto said he is building markets to honour his campaign pledges to uplift Mama Mbogas .
“We want vendors to work in clean conducive environments where there are cold rooms, electricity and other market infrastructure,” he said, as he revealed that several other markets were lined up for construction.
Additionally, he said he will set aside Sh.1.8 billion to connect 20,000 new houses with electricity connection.
“Electricity should not be for the rich, even if you are in a semi permanent house we will connect you with electricity,” Ruto said.
He said he will speed up the gazettement of Igembe University so that students can be admitted there.
On Miraa he said he will crush the cartels who are exploiting farmers, an issue that Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki had also alluded to.
“Am telling the Miraa Cartels they have three things. It’s either they stop exploiting farmers or they will either go to prison or go on ‘another journey’ or they will vacate the country ,” President Ruto said.
“I recently told Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe that the way we are helping tea farmers and other cash crops we should also help Miraa farmers. That is why the new Miraa prices were gazetted recently,” he said.
He said he has spoken with the Somalia President, Somaliland President and Jubaland President so that they can find a market for Miraa and prices for Miraa.
On Coffee, he said he had improved coffee prices from about Sh.50 and Sh.60 and now this year it’s about Sh110 to Sh130.
“We have seen the increase of prices because we eliminated brokers by issuing one licence since many cartels were posing as farmers, buyers, millers and auctioneers,” President Ruto added.
Others who accompanied him were, Governors Mutuma M’ithinkia (Meru) and Cecily Mbarire (Embu) among others and a host of other leaders.
Kindiki said that they are working round the clock to deliver the promises they pledged to Kenyans.
“My job is not to fight the head of state but to help him and I will continue with that. I promise to be a humble and hardworking deputy,” Kindiki said.
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