Kagure: I will create a million jobs, rid Nairobi of traffic jam

 

Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant Agnes Kagure [Courtesy]

Businesswoman Agnes Kagure has pledged to create one million jobs if she is elected as the next Nairobi governor.

Kagure who announced her candidature at the Kasarani indoor arena on Friday also unveiled her five-point agenda for the city.

“I want to dedicate my life to improving Nairobi and move you from the city of lamentation to the city of jubilation,” she said.

Kagure said she will offer Nairobians a clean water supply, good sanitation and reliable healthcare services which she says are essential for City residents.

She faulted past administrations for their failure to provide clean water and better healthcare services for residents saying it is not entirely impossible since the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) had done it.

She voiced her support for the NMS saying it had acted in the greater interest of Nairobians.

Kagure also pledged to enhance safety and security which has been a thorny issue in the county.

She said her administration will ensure street lighting all over the county works and will collaborate with security apparatus to make Nairobi a safe place to live in.

Kagure said she will have a good working relationship with MCAs to ensure that there is a smooth business operating environment.

She will also facilitate the establishment of new investments including SMEs. “We will expand the horizon of opportunities to give Nairobians a platform to excel,” she said.

Kagure also promised to deal with traffic jams to ease movement in and out of the city. She says Nairobians lose income and waste a lot of time when stuck in traffic jams.

“We have what it takes to transform our fortunes and turn our city into a haven of greater hope and shared prosperity,” she told the jubilant crowd.

Offering to repair the tainted image of the city, the entrepreneur said the county employees will be trained on customer care and that there will be a review of their contracts which she says will open up opportunities to get rid of ghost workers and replace workers who have left.

Among those in attendance were former Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi, who said he was representing ODM leader Raila Odinga at the event.

“We are not fighting anyone, we just want to unite all the people,” he said.

Wachira Kiago, the National Chairman of the Kikuyu Council of Elders said after consultations, the elders had decided to back her bid for Nairobi’s top seat.

The elders pledged to contribute Sh2 million to help with her campaigns.

Kagure started her career as an insurance sales agent before rising up the ladder to a managerial position. She was the executive financial adviser at CFC Stanbic bank before she left to establish her own insurance agency, Insurance Consulting Group.

She will be up against Governor Anne Kananu, Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, former Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru and Kenya Chamber of Commerce chairperson Richard Ngatia.

Kagure becomes the second candidate to launch her bid after Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, who launched his bid on November 14, 2021.

Makadara MP George Aladwa is expected to launch his bid this month. He declared that he will be running on an ODM ticket.

“I want to make it clear that I will be in the race and I am doing it for the people because they want me to move to the next level,” he told The Standard in a past interview.

Bishop Margaret Wanjiru has erected billboards in several parts of the city declaring her candidature on a UDA ticket.

Richard Ngatia during the Azimio la Umoja event held at Kasarani last month, while addressing the attendees gave the clearest hint that he will be gunning for the top seat. “Nairobi residents, today is not my day but we shall be having a conversation later,” he said.