Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in Meru county /HANDOUT
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has praised more than 20,000 UDA polling station officials in Meru County for investing their time and resources in defending the ruling party at the grassroots.
Speaking at Kinoru Stadium on Friday, Kindiki described the officials as the “bosses” of UDA Party at the polling centres, saying their role would be critical in explaining the Government’s development record ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“You are very important. You are the spokespersons of the party at the polling centres where you have been elected. Those 20 officials are leaders of the party, and you are in charge of promoting the party, speaking on behalf of the party, and speaking on behalf of the President at that polling centre. You are the party,” he said.
The Deputy President had invited the officials to recognise their contribution and empower them with information about the Kenya Kwanza administration’s achievements.
Meru has about 25,000 elected grassroots officials, 20 officials elected early this year per polling station, while the national network stood at over 2 million grassroots leaders.
Prof Kindiki said the officials had made sacrifices by using their own resources to organise and defend the party.
“I don't know whether you understand how important you are to our party, because the leaders, like the President, the Fireman and Members of Parliament, are in Nairobi. You are the bosses of the party at the polling centre, where the vote is cast,” he said.
He challenged rival parties to demonstrate similar grassroots structures, arguing that UDA was the only party to have conducted democratic elections at polling-centre level.
“So many parties claim that they have grassroots leaders, but there are no elections that have been conducted at the grassroots level by those parties,” he said.
Kindiki said the officials would be expected to speak authoritatively about the Government's record, including roads, agriculture, education, healthcare and support for young people.
“When we come here with President Ruto next year to campaign, we will list our achievements in Meru and all parts of the Country including roads, healthcare, education, etc. When they come, let them also account for their time in office,” he said.
He cited the reduction of fertiliser prices, saying subsidised fertiliser had fallen from Sh7,500 in 2022 to Sh2,500, with a further Sh500 reduction announced this week.
He also pointed to the reduction in the price of maize flour, saying the Government was targeting a Sh100 price for a two-kilogramme packet.
On education, Kindiki said the administration had constructed 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 laboratories and was on course to recruit 120,000 teachers.
He said enrolment in technical training institutions had risen from 297,000 in 2022 to 718,000.
In healthcare, Kindiki said 32.3 million Kenyans were registered under Taifa Care, compared with eight million under NHIF.
For Meru, Kindiki disclosed that Sh1 billion had been allocated to upgrade Meru Level Five Hospital to Level Six, while Sh44 billion had been earmarked for construction of more than 500 kilometres of additional tarmac roads.
He said the Government would also inject a further Sh200 million into Meru Dairy to expand milk production and processing.
Kindiki challenged the opposition to focus on policy rather than slogans and nicknames, warning that the Government would take its record directly to voters.
“President William Ruto and I are ready to face the people of Kenya eye to eye, face to face, and explain what this government has done in the last five years,” he said.
