Vet aspirants carefully, Shitanda tells Kakamega residents

HOUSING minister Soita Shitanda yesterday urged residents of Kakamega county to reject political aspirants with a poor development record. Shitanda asked the residents to vet those presenting themselves for elective positions before making a decision because county leadership will determine development of the region.

Shitanda said his opponents for the Kakamega senator's seat have nothing to show for the many years they have been in public office. Planning minister Wycliffe Oparanya has expressed intention to vie for the seat. Those who have declared interest in the Kakamega governor's seat include; former Nyanza PC Paul Olando, UK based businesswoman Mable Muruli, Nairobi businessman Simbauni Ndombi and journalist Ayub Savula. “Transformation of Kakamega into a prosperous county will depend on the kind of leaders elected,” Shitanda said. The minister was addressing a meeting of Housing Cooperative Society members at Kakamega Town Hall yesterday.

He said electing poor leaders will derail development of the county and put prosperity on hold for five years. If elected, he said, his priority will be to rid Kakamega town of slums and create a working system. He said though the Ministry of Housing has projected that all Kenyans will be living in decent houses by the year 2020, that projection is untenable. “I want to echo sentiments by other speakers here that though our constitution states the government will provide decent shelter for its citizens, Kenyans should realise that decent housing does not come free. Each one of us has a role to play to ensure he resides in a decent house,” he said.

He said through the Ministry of Housing, a Sh1.2 billion infrastructure programme is underway to lay out physical and social infrastructure in the informal settlements of Kakamega town. The programme, funded by the World Bank under the Kenya Informal Settlement Schemes Improvement Programme, is ongoing in 15 municipalities across the country.