Returning to a disenchanted political support base for the first comprehensive tour since they were elected, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto took with them a basketful of goodies for Meru County and a determination to sway the political tide to a new direction.
Meru County has lately experienced some grumbling from elected leaders with a prevalent feeling that the Jubilee top duo had neglected the area despite getting overwhelming support in the presidential election of 2013.
Its been noted that the President had not visited the area since he was elected, while some leaders say the area was given a raw deal in the allocation of roads to be tarmacked under the national 10,000-kilometre annuity programme.
Since Friday, Uhuru embarked on a whirlwind tour of the region that took him to all the 10 constituencies in the expansive county.
After spending his day touring the Imenti side of the county on Friday, yesterday the President made an extensive tour of Tigania and Igembe where he also opened his basket of goodies.
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He inspected the Kianjai-Miathene-Mikinduri road in Tigania West whose construction is being undertaken by the Meru County government.
CHEAPER TECHNOLOGY
The President was impressed by the new and cheaper technology from Malaysia which the county government used in a pilot. This technology has more than halved the road construction cost. Uhuru commended Meru Governor Peter Munya for spearheading the construction of the road whose cost has fallen from Sh80 million per kilometre to Sh30 million.
Before the visit, there had been some complaints from MPs in regard to the annuity programme. The Meru Parliamentary Group had said it expected each of the nine constituencies in the county to have an additional 20 kilometres under the programme, its chairman Kathuri Murungi (South Imenti) said. During the visit, the President also announced several appeasement measures on infrastructure development and the local economy.
But it is perhaps his passionate plea to area leaders to embrace the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) that demonstrates that he holds the area dear to his heart as a crucial voting bloc.
In Meru news of the formation of JAP has elicited sharp and varied reactions from across the political divide. While leaders such as Senator Kiraitu Murungi generally welcomed the new party, others such as Governor Peter Munya have expressed opposition to the folding up of the Alliance Party of Kenya (APK), one of the most influential political parties in the area.
LOSING GRIP
Although The National Alliance has five MPs in Meru against the APK’s two, it is the latter that controls the local county assembly and government. APK also has one MP in neighbouring Tharaka Nithi and secured the senator’s position in Embu County.
Jubilee has been fast losing a grip in Meru with leadership rows in the Njuri Ncheke (council of elders) and the Meru PG all pointing towards the thinly-disguised desire of Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki to position himself as the larger Meru pointman for Jubilee.
Although Kindiki and Murungi strive to maintain a respectable relationship, the underhand jostling shows a lot of hostility towards establishing a new order.
During his tour that ended late in the evening yesterday, Uhuru emphasised the need for the Jubilee Alliance to remain intact “by ensuring that we are not in different parties“.
Uhuru and Ruto rooted for one political party in the Jubilee alliance, saying it was the only way to unite Kenyans and reduce squabbles among the affiliate parties.
ONE COALITION
“When we went to elections we had TNA, URP and other parties but now we want to be in one family that will ensure we speak in one voice. There is no need to have all these parties and yet we are in one coalition,“ Uhuru said.
Ruto took the cue and said that unity of purpose was what was needed in Jubilee to ensure that the government agenda succeeds.
“We cannot afford to continue being divided in different political parties. My Friend Kiraitu here had a bus which had no driver, he decided to drive it himself but now we have decided we are going into one house,“ said Ruto.
Munya has been in the forefront opposing the idea of the dissolution of APK. He say the Meru people will form another political party if the “bus” party is dissolved.
Last week, the difference among the local MPs threatened to boil over with some MPs insisting that Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi, who was ousted as the chairman of the Meru Parliamentary Group, should not be allowed to lead the President‘s itinerary.
Little wonder that the presidential visit saw the organisers adopt an ingenious way to avoid the leadership crisis that has plagued the Meru PG.
ADDRESS RALLY
Everywhere the President went, only the local MP would get a chance to speak besides Senator Kiraitu Murungi, County Woman MP Florence Kajuju and Governor Peter Munya.
All others, including the four MPs from outside the Meru region who had joined the party on Friday, did not address the rallies.
But Kindiki was at some point given a chance to “greet the wananchi” in South Imenti when it appeared he would totally be consigned to a peripheral role. He also addressed rallies at Tigania West, Igembe Central and Igembe South.
On helping the local economy, the President told residents of South Imenti that Algeria, which he visited earlier in the week, had promised to start importing Kenyan tea which was likely to increase prices paid to farmers.
“The Algerians were in full agreement that they need not import from their traditional sources in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. They were very responsive that Africa must trade with itself,” said the President.
After an appeal by area MP Kathuri Murungi to set up a stabilisation fund for tea farmers, the President instructed Agriculture CS Felix Koskei to hasten the conclusion of a taskforce probing the sub-sector.
During the tour, the President presented 120,000 title deeds to Meru residents and told residents of Buuri on Friday that a total of 800,000 title deeds will have been issued in the area by the end of 2015.
In South Imenti, he commissioned the Meru-Marimba-Imenti-Nkubu road and in Meru town he launched the Meru town bypass project.
He said road, water and other development projects in Meru would be scaled up.
“We will also repair the Nkubu-Mikumbune road this year,“ he said.
Among roads that have been upgraded are the Kanyekine-Gatheraine, Kinyanya-Mwichuune and Nkubu-Uruku-Kithirune.
In addition, the Nkubu-Uruku-Kithirune road will be upgraded to ease transportation of farm produce, people and other commercial goods.
In North Imenti, the President commissioned the Mati Road that will link Meru County to Tharaka Nithi County and Embu County acting as a parallel entry into Meru from Nairobi and the Coast.
He also opened the Huduma Centre at the Meru town GPO.
