Githae: Give leaders time to deliver

Kenya’s ambassador to Washington DC Robinson Githae (left) and Turkey-bound ambassador Kiema Kilonzo during the induction programme for newly appointed ambassadors at a Nairobi hotel last month. Githae has told Kenyans to be patient with elected leaders. [PHOTO: BEVERLYNE MUSILI/STANDARD]

Nairobi; Kenya: The recently appointed Kenyan Ambassador to the United States of America Robison Githae has urged Kenyans to give their elected leaders time to deliver.

Mr Githae asked Kenyans to dispense of the culture of wanting things to happen overnight.

He said barely two years after the general elections, some people were already trying to tear apart all the development programmes put in place.

''Such people, who fall in the category of saboteurs, never want anyone else to get credit and they always ensure they place obstacles along the development path,'' he said.

Speaking at Ngariama Anglican church during the opening of a multipurpose hall he helped put up when he was the Finance minister, Githae said elected leaders should be given space to deliver.

''Even before the election dust has settled, we are having a lot of bickering yet we are the very ones who gave the leaders the mandate for five years,'' he said.

Githae said elected leaders should be left alone for the remaining two and a half years to discharge their respective mandate.

NO EXCUSE

He said the leaders will have no excuse when the voters evaluate their performances through their score cards come 2017.

The former minister, who was accompanied by the Gichugu MP Njogu Barua and his Kirinyaga Central counterpart Gachoki Gitari, said unless the bickering is toned down, development will be affected.

''I am urging Kenyans to put an immediate stop to all antagonistic brand of politics against all our elected leaders,'' he said.

Mr Gitari called for the unity of all leaders sayting without it, nothing much could be realised in terms of development.

Mr Barua, who was the host, said time has come for Kirinyaga residents to shum sectionalism and speak with one voice in order to move on.

BOTTLED WATER

The Kirinyaga Anglican Diocesan Bishop Joseph Kibuchwa, who presided over the ceremony, complained there was an abundance of resources in the county yet residents were wallowing in poverty.

''How can we use bottled water from Ruiru, Mombasa and other parts of the county yet we have the cleanest natural resource right from MtKenya forest?" he posed.

The cleric said the area residents should invest in bottling water for sale to improve their livelihood.