Locals want new US envoy McCarter to help with key projects

US ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter is installed as an elder in Tharaka. [Darlington Manyara, Standard]

Residents of Mukothima village in Tharaka North, where the new United States ambassador Kyle McCarter has a residence, want him to initiate more development locally.

In their memorandum, the community and the professionals have appealed to the envoy to help them lobby for more projects in the vast semi-arid sub-county.

In their list is water, roads, education and electricity.

Kyle lived with his father, Calvin McCarter, and family at Mukothima and are respected by the villagers for setting up a health centre, school and children’s home locally.

On April 6, in his first public appearance after his appointment as an envoy, Kyle held his homecoming ceremony at Mukothima Catholic Church.

During the colourful event, Kyle was installed as a Tharaka community elder. His wife Victoria was also installed as a Tharaka lady.

Consider helping

The community wants the US Government to consider helping it end its water scarcity problem through construction of dams.

The memorandum was signed by Tharaka MP Gitonga Murugara, Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki and Tharaka University College Principal Peter Muriungi.

Lawyer Peter Kaimba, a resident of Thanantu, where Kyle has set up a charity centre, said more transformation would be realised in the community if the envoy considered their memorandum.   

“Community leaders have presented our memorandum to him and we hope for the best since he had earlier promised us that he will stand for development and focus mostly on improving education standards, water and universal health for our people,” said Mr Kaimba.

Mr Murugara, in an interview with The Standard, said the community would continue engaging the envoy.

“We consider the ambassador as one of us because of the relationship he had with Tharaka. Therefore, we have come up together as a community to present to him the key issues that affect us as a constituency for his kind consideration,” Murugara said.

Prof Kindiki said they wanted the US Government to assist the community in improving education locally.

“We seek forms of exchange programmes between Kenya and United States of America to benefit Tharaka,” said Kindiki.