President William Ruto came with a basket full of development projects during his Meru tour on Wednesday.
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 for the remainder of his five year term.
Ruto started his Meru tour in Maua town where he launched the sewerage system.
He promised Sh. 140 million for the Maua sewerage system and Sh. 280 million for construction of the Maua modern market.
“We had planned to allocate Sh. 50 million initially but I said that will be too little so we added more money,” President Ruto said.
He said in Athiru a market worth Sh. 56 million is almost complete.
“In Mutuati we are building another market worth Sh 200 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 Mboga (market vendors) .
The head of State said in Meru he will build eight new markets and they are planning for four more markets.
“We want vendors to work in clean and conducive environments where there are cold rooms, electricity and other market infrastructure,” said President Ruto.
He said building of new markets will help uplift farmers sell their products easily.
“Building of markets will help create jobs,uplift the economy, enable food security and fight poverty,” he said.
Additionally he said he will set aside Sh. 1.8 billion to connect 20,000 new houses with electricity.
“Electricity should not be for the rich. Even if you are in a semi permanent house we will connect you with electricity,” Ruto said.
On title deeds he said he will speed up issuing more title deeds.
He said he will speed up the gazettement of Igembe University so that students can be placed there.
On Miraa he said he will crush the cartels who are exploiting farmers.
“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.
President Ruto said miraa should be recognised as a cash crop like tea ,coffee and any other cash crop.
“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 better prices for miraa.
On Coffee he said he had improved coffee prices from around Sh. 50 and Sh. 60 and now this year it’s about Sh.110 -Sh.130.
“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.
He said he will ensure coffee prices continue increasing noting this year they will give out 20,000 coffee seedlings to farmers.
President Ruto promised to speed up tarmacking of Athiru Gaiti road as he has brought a new contractor.
“In three months I need to see progress or I will also bring in somebody else who will speed up the tarmacking of the road,” he said.
He promised Sh. 200 million for tarmacking of Maua streets roads so that residents can avoid a muddy terrain.
He also hinted at working with former Cabinet Secretaries Peter Munya and Mithika Linturi.
He said has already talked to them signaling they might get state jobs.
He was accompanied by deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Governors Mutuma M’ithinkia (Meru) Cecily Mbarire (Embu) Meru senator Kathuri Murungi among others.
President William 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 and development projects.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said that they are working round the clock to deliver the promises they pledged to Kenyans.
He said the administration will build 400 new markets across the country to dignify small scale traders.
He said President Ruto is on course to fulfil his promises to the electorates.
Kindiki promised to help President Ruto fight Miraa cartels the same way he has streamlined the coffee and tea to enable farmers to get their hard earned cash.
“The same way I fought terrorists and bandits in Lamu and the North Rift, I will crush the cartels, I will hit them with the biggest axe ever,” Kindiki said.
Kindiki promised not to fight his boss but instead help him deliver the Kenya Kwanza campaign pledges.
“My job is not to fight the head of state but to help him. I will continue with that. I promise to be a humble and hardworking deputy,” Kindiki said.
