Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged residents of Nakuru not to fall for ethnic mobilisation attempts in the county, saying the devolved unit is home to Kenyans from diverse tribes.
The DP said the government is focused on bringing all Kenyans together away from tribal, regional or religious affiliations, noting the importance of a united country focused on national development.
“We are building one nation that accommodates everyone and takes into account the interests of all people, regardless of their religion, ethnic community or age. We want to promote equality and build peace. There is no better place to speak about equality in Kenya than Nakuru,” DP indicated.
Speaking on Tuesday during a development visit to Bahati Constituency, Nakuru, where he inspected ongoing projects being done by the government, Kindiki explained the critical demographic nature of the county and its importance in development and the future of Kenya.
“Nakuru is a cosmopolitan town where people from different ethnic communities live together. The Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Kisii, Luhya communities, among others, all call this place home,” he reiterated.
The DP on Tuesday afternoon inspected the construction works at Bahati Affordable Housing Project where 220 units under Phase 1 have been completed at Sh 504 million and Phase 2 (1,067 units) is ongoing at Sh3 billion.
He also checked the progress of Bahati ESP Market. Other markets under construction in Bahati are Dundori and Kabatini Modern Markets.
The Second in Command said President Ruto has focused on taking development to every part of the country, pointing to the ‘Usawa ni Sawa’ tag as the timely guide driving economic transformation across the country.
“We are pushing for equality among all ethnic communities, religions and genders to ensure that Kenya accommodates all of us. That is why we are calling for two terms for President Ruto, because he stands for equality, and equality is fairness,” he added.
In furtherance of this, Kindiki enumerated the massive projects amounting to billions of shillings going on in Nakuru County as well as in every one of the 47 devolved units.
Nakuru has benefitted from 25 modern markets costing Sh25 billion that are progressing in all the constituencies, with an additional four at Sh715 million in the pipeline.
Overall, the devolved unit has received Sh46 billion for affordable houses, modern markets, institutional hostels including student hostels, police and prison houses.
Moreover, over 870 kilometres of road projects costing Sh38 billion are also ongoing in the county.
The residents will also be the biggest beneficiaries of the expansion of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway.
The last-mile electricity connection programme has also caught pace in the region after allocation of Sh3 billion, targeting 25, 000 homes, of which Njoro has received Sh370 million for an additional 3,300 homes.
“Many people do not understand the work we are doing to build an equitable Kenya. As we move forward, there should be no discrimination between the poor and the rich, one ethnic community and another, one religion and another, men and women, the young and the elderly. We are one community and one nation,” DP emphasised.
The DP was joined by Bahati MP Irene Njoki, Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria, Kuresoi South MP Joseph Tonui, Nakuru Deputy Governor David Kones, MCAs, local leaders and thousands of residents.
