DP William Ruto defends Jubilee record in Coast region

Deputy President William Ruto (right) addresses Changamwe Residents during his tour in Mombasa County. (Photo: Kelvin Karani/Standard)

Deputy President William Ruto took Jubilee campaigns to Changamwe, Mombasa County, where he outlined Jubilee's development record.

This was in response to Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho's claims that the Government had not initiated new projects at the Coast since 2013.

Joho has often accused the ruling party of riding on projects launched by the Grand Coalition Government between 2008 and 2013 or those funded by foreigners.

At a rally at the Changamwe social hall grounds, Ruto announced that the Government would reopen Mtongwe ferry service next month.

The Government will receive two new ferries for Likoni channel worth Sh2 billion from Turkey, in June, to end a transportation crisis between Mombasa island and the mainland south, he said.

At the same time, the DP took on the National Super Alliance, claiming it had launched a plot to intimidate the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

"The Opposition should stop harassing IEBC. They should give the commission a chance to do its work," Ruto said.

On infrastructure, the DP said the Jubilee government would spend more than Sh45 billion on road projects in Mombasa County.

Ruto added that the national government had bought machines for dialysis, radiology, MRI and intensive care unit for the Coast General Hospital.

He announced that the Sh15 billion Dongo Kundu road infrastructure project in Kwale had already begun, adding that the construction of a Sh17 billion dual carriageway from Jomvu in Mombasa to Mariakani in Kilifi County would begin soon.

He revealed that the airport road being constructed at a cost of Sh6 billion would be ready in the next six months and that another road from Miritini to the airport would soon be built at a cost of Sh5 billion.

"Jubilee has built the first flyover in Mombasa. The construction of the road to the airport will soon be completed and we will launch another road connecting Magongo and Jomvu at a cost of Sh2.4 billion," Ruto said, adding that the number of Mombasa residents connected to electricity had grown from 151,000 in 2013 to 271,000.

He said: "We have done 6,000km of road, built the standard gauge railway and connected 5.6 million Kenyans to electricity."