Don’t wait for state help to grow, Uhuru tells counties

President Uhuru Kenyatta with Baringo Senator Gideon Moi walk out of Marigat High School in Baringo County.

By VINCENT MABATUK

President Uhuru has lashed out at county governments for waiting for national government to initiate development projects yet they have budgets of their own.Kenyatta said the county governments should also initiate development projects in their regions and avoid waiting for the national government only.

Speaking at Marigat Secondary School after visiting flood prone regions of Baringo and people displaced by floods, the president rapped Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi after he lined up a list of items he wanted the president to do for the region.

“The governor knows that counties also have money meant for road repairs and construction and they should play their required role effectively,” President Uhuru said.

Seemed angered

The president seemed angered by the state of more than 3,000 people displaced by floods after Lake Baringo burst its banks.

While announcing that his government would release Sh25 million to help those displaced by the floods, a tough talking Uhuru told the county governor to top up the amount. “We will release Sh25 million to assist the displaced and the governor must also top up the amount because as the leader here, he has responsibilities to play. It cannot be that all the time people wait for the national government to act,” he said.

President Uhuru issued 500 bags of maize, 200 bags of beans, 200 bags of rice, 100 tents, 1000 iron sheets and utensils worth Sh5.5 million and Sh20 million to re-build schools.

Reprimanded leaders

The head of state reprimanded the area leaders, following a decision by five Baringo MPs to line up a list of things they told him to do for them in the area. Led by Asman Kamama from Tiaty Constituency the legislators pleaded with Uhuru to come to their aid in road construction and construction of more schools in the region.

Kamama also appealed to the jubilee government to provide money for the construction of a 10, 000 hectares irrigation scheme in his constituency.

They lined up one after the other and took the opportunity to plead with the president to have more people from the region appointed in the national government, stating that electorates from the county voted for him and his deputy William Ruto 99 per cent in the last elections. The same appeal came from Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita but unlike his counterpart he dwelt mostly in appealing for more roads to be tarmacked in the area, among them Karandi-Marigat Road that will connect Baringo and laikipia counties.

But when he stood to speak to the crowd, the president assured the residents that his government was only going to concentrate on roads under their mandate and urged the governor to take care of roads under the county system. At the same time the president issued a stern warning against cattle rustlers in pastoralist areas, saying that such retrogressive cultures have no space in modern Kenya.

“Peace is important in development and as the government, we are warning those who want to maintain the activities that were being done by their grandfathers that we are in digital Kenya and we will deal with them,” he said.