Walk the talk on Buy Kenya Build Kenya, Uhuru tells Cabinet

Ministries and state departments have been ordered to give preferential procurement to Kenyan-made goods and services.   Speaking when he met senior ranks of the executive in a virtual event at State House, Nairobi, President Uhuru Kenyatta, urged the heads of department to "walk the talk of Buy Kenya Build Kenya".   The President has since been known for his mantra on building local industries, in line with one of the pillars in the Big Four agenda which includes manufacturing.   Uhuru has also been leading from the front in drumming up support for the local textile industry, if his African print shirts are anything to go by.   Since the Coronavirus pandemic hit, Uhuru has often been seen in public wearing the printed shirts, which have won him praise.   All the shirts are designed and made by Rivatex East Africa Limited, a textile factory based in Eldoret.   Shirts similar to those worn by Uhuru cost Sh2,000 or more, according to Rivatex, which has in the past tweeted, “Hope is inspired by what and how we dress. President Uhuru Kenyatta is our number one supporter of our fabrics."  

The President is our firm supporter and marketer of our local apparels. He is keen on revamping our economy even during this COVID 19 period.#BuyKenyaBuildKenya — Rivatex East Africa Limited (@rivatex_ltd) April 27, 2020

  No new projects   A statement from State House spokesperson Kanze Dena said the President reiterated his earlier directive that no new projects will be initiated except with his express authority.   The Head of State acknowledged the current difficult economic environment occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic and reminded government departments to settle pending bills as a key priority. 

A number of already-commissioned projects have since stalled. In January, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia admitted that the government is facing challenges completing a number of road projects in western Kenya.

In Nyanza region, road construction projects worth Sh12 billion that were set for completion between May 2020 and July 2021 in Kisii and Nyamira counties have stalled.

In Kisumu, construction of the Sh300 million Ahero junction inter-change and the Mamboleo fly-over has stalled.

Stalled mega projects have been a big blot on the Jubilee administration, with most of them merely existing on paper.

During the 2017 campaigns, Jubilee leaders promised that every Kenyan would access critical healthcare services by 2022, a situation that has probably been worsened and derailed by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Outlining the government's development priorities for the 2020-21 Financial Year, Uhuru said the government is focusing on implementing and completing ongoing priority projects.

"These programmes must be strictly implemented within set timelines and budgets."

Moving forward, as a measure of accountability, the completion rate of projects will be adopted as a key performance indicator for all CSs, CASs and PSs.

Uhuru called for collective responsibility in implementation of government projects to ensure timely delivery of quality outcomes.