Leaders from agriculture-rich Nyandarua want the county listed among marginalized regions in the country.
They said despite the county leading in production of vegetables and milk, there was little to show for as the current and former governments sidelined it in development and political appointments.
The leaders noted that the county lacked a single capital project or education institution despite being the country’s leading producer of potatoes and milk.
Addressing the press in Naivasha, the leaders said that they were optimistic that their grievances will be addressed through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) which they fully supported.
Former Deputy Governor Waithaka Mwangi said there were two major dams, Sasumua and Kanoike, serving residents of Nairobi and Baringo.
“The two projects disregard local residents who have to walk for miles to get water and we are challenging the state to address this,” he said.
He took issue with a move to block the proposed construction of the Mau Mau road from Nyeri through the Aberdare to Kinangop, noting that this was in bad faith.
Mwangi said the SGR passed through national parks while the Nairobi-Mombasa highway cut through Tsavo national park.
He called on the state to make sure milk and potatos were part of the strategic food reserve as the region did not have a processing plant for the produce.
“Nyandarua county produces 20 per cent of potato and milk after the collapse of the pyrethrum sector but farmers are earning peanuts from the produce,” he said.
Waithaka revisited the relocation of Nyahururu town, noting that it was constructed by revenue from Nyandarua residents only for Laikipia county to take over its management.
Simon Kanyingi said the county had been forgotten in terms of appointments to key government institutions.
He called for the subdivision of Kinangop constituency, which currently has over 150,000 voters noting that this would make it easier for residents to get government support.
“We hope that the BBI team from Nyandarua will be inclusive as we want the issue of marginalization, poor infrastructure and poor processing of our products addressed,” he said.
Former chairman of Kenya Seed Company Nafatali Mureiithi called for the restoration of the Aberdare forest, the pyrethrum sector and Lake Olbolossat.
“The county has major potential in pyrethrum production while Lake Olbolossat has the capability of producing organic fertilizer if supported by the government,” he said.
