President Kenyatta joins a band on stage at the Machakos People’s Park. Photo/PSCU
MACHAKOS, Kenya, Nov 15 – The Government’s focus on promoting development in all parts of the country will not be derailed by divisive politics, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.
He said the electorate played its part by voting and those elected have a responsibility to serve without discrimination.
“Our responsibility as leaders is to serve Kenyans irrespective of party affiliation,” President Kenyatta said.
The President spoke on Friday during a town hall meeting at the People’s Park in Machakos county.
During the interactive session with Machakos leaders and residents, President Kenyatta responded to questions raised on development in the county.
On infrastructure, President Kenyatta said Machakos will benefit from the 10,000 kilometres of roads the national Government intends to construct across the country.
He added that the National Government recognized the importance of good infrastructure in attracting investors to create employment for the youth.
“We want to move away from the thinking that development is only to be found in cities. We want all satellite towns to compete with big cities but that will not be possible without proper infrastructure,” he said.
The President said the National Government would also work with the Machakos county government in addressing the problem of water facing Ukambani residents. He supported Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua’s proposal to supply water to every household in the county.
He said plans are also at an advanced stage to fast-track supply of electricity, saying the Government intends to ensure that all primary schools in the country are connected to electricity.
“We are negotiating the African Development Bank to get funds that will enable us provide electricity to more Kenyans,” President Kenyatta said.
Speaking during the occasion, Governor Mutua said Machakos county is commitment to working with the National Government in development and will not encourage ‘politics of poverty’ to reign supreme.
“Time has come for us to move away from retrogressive politics. Our interest is in development and service to the residents,” the Machakos Governor said.
National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said by agreeing to attend the town hall meeting and field questions from residents, President Kenyatta has proved to be a true leader.
“It takes courage, good leadership and a person who believes in transparency and accountability to welcome questions from citizens,” Mr. Duale said.
The Leader of Majority in the National Assembly also commended Governor Mutua, saying the development projects he has implemented in Machakos in two years is more than what some leaders from the region implemented in 30 years.
He said the contest in the 2017 General Election will be between those with a track road on development and those without.
Cabinet Secretary Judy Wakhungu disclosed that plans are underway to construct a second dam with a capacity of 10,000 cubic metres in Machakos to address the scarcity of water in the county. She added that her Ministry is rehabilitating the Yatta Canal at a cost of Kshs 7.7 billion to expand irrigation in the area.
Interior and Coordination of National Government Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku and his Industrialization and Enterprises Development counterpart Adan Mohamed also addressed the town hall meeting.
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