- The President has rolled out development projects to shore up support for BBI.
- Initially, Ruto had arrogated to himself the role of supervising national development projects.
Image: FILE
President Uhuru Kenyatta has moved to personally take charge of development projects to build formidable grassroots support ahead of the expected BBI referendum.
Uhuru, who is racing against time to firm up his legacy, is rolling out massive development initiatives seen as wooing ordinary citizens to secure support for the BBI plebiscite.
The Building Bridges Initiative task force has concluded its work. It reportedly has proposed changes to the structure of the Executive, among other measures.
A public vote is required to change the constitutional structure of the Executive.
The President himself and 'Super Minister' Fred Matiang'i have increased meetings with key regional leaders to confirm development projects. Matiang'i, the Interior CS, has sweeping powers to oversee national development projects.
He is head of the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee.
On Friday, Matiang’i led seven CSs in a high-level four-hour meeting with elected leaders from Murang’a county.
This was just a day after President Kenyatta himself held lengthy development talks with leaders from Western Kenya.
On Monday, Matiang'i met Machakos leaders.
Conspicuously missing from the Matiang'i meeting with Murang’a leaders were allies of Deputy President William Ruto.
The DP's foot soldiers as well as those of ANC Leader Musalia Mudavadi and his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang'ula also skipped the Uhuru meeting on Wednesday.
The Murang’a team was led by Governor Mwangi wa Iria and Senate Majority Whip Irungu Kang'ata, seen as the President's new favourite from Central Kenya.
"I want to promise again publicly, we would do our best. There is no room for games, there is no room for time-wasting and resource wasting," Matiang’i promised.
He went on, "Our President has required us to ensure, now that the financial year is beginning, every coin allocated to projects is utilised properly."
Among the issues discussed was the revitalisation of the coffee industry, the region's economic mainstay.
Matiang’i said that a long list of projects to be finalised has been agreed, including the Kenneth Matiba Hospital.
Uhuru's deliberate move to take charge of projects has dealt a major blow to Ruto who used to personally oversee and launch projects while campaigning for the presidency in the 2022 General Election.
Initially, Ruto used to launch development projects across the country but this was tactically and decisively taken away following the elevation of Matiang’i.
Two years to the end of his term, Uhuru appears determined to regain his political foothold with projects rolled out to turn the tables against Ruto.
Uhuru has already revived the 240-kilometre Nairobi-Nanyuki metre-gauge railway costing Sh3 billion.
The railway, cutting through his Mount Kenya backyard, is expected to give a major boost to the region’s agricultural economy.
“The President is asserting his authority and taking control of both his legacy projects and the BBI process,” former assistant minister Manson Nyamweya said.
Nyamweya, the former South Mugirango MP, said the President will stop at nothing to utilise what’s left of his term to leave at least leave “some legacy".
“The President had been patient and tolerant, only to realise the people he had trusted were pursuing an agenda that was at cross-purposes with his legacy plans,” Nyamweya said.
The President is said to be concentrating on specific regions including his Central backyard, Western Kenya and Coast where the DP had frenetically been making inroads.
On Wednesday, Uhuru moved to address the plight of sugar cane farmers in Western and Nyanza.
This was during a meeting with Western leaders led by Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa and Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli.
The President ordered that all debts of all the cash-strapped state-owned sugar mills be written off. All taxes owed to KRA will also be waived. The debts total about Sh91 billion
The waiver will benefit farmers in the Mumias, Chemelil, Miwani, Muhoroni, Nzoia and South Nyanza sugar belts.
Uhuru is also said to have promised to make an extensive tour of the region once the coronavirus pandemic restrictions are lifted so he can personally address residents’ development concerns.
Projects have also been identified and rolled out in Raila Odinga's Nyanza backyard. Analysts say this strategic move renders Ruto politically irrelevant.
Uhuru has identified construction of major roads, rehabilitation of key airstrips, revival of the railway lines as well as rejuvenation of tea and sugar cane farming as key to his legacy.
For instance, Kakamega and Migori airstrips are being rehabilitated at a cost of about Sh175 million and Sh243million, respectively.
President Uhuru's government has also been rehabilitating the Kisumu Port for Sh3 billion.
The project, which Uhuru has twice inspected, is seen as a major benefit of his handshake with Raila.
When rehabilitated, the railway line is expected to ease the cost of transporting agricultural produce and goods in the region from source to market.
Major road construction is underway in the Mt Kenya region and the President is expected to visit his turf soon.
Two weeks ago, Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia toured road projects in the region.
The President is keen on projects that benefit the common man to win public support ahead of the anticipated public vote.
"The President is committed to ensuring that the projects he promised Kenyans across the country are implemented," Murang'a Senator Irungu Kang'ata told the Star.
The DP, whom Uhuru has pushed to the wall, has retreated to his Karen and Sugoi homes where he has been unveiling multi-million equipment targeting the informal sector. He reminds people that he was known as the ‘Hustler’ because he worked hard and made a success of himself.
The President is personally supervising various development projects across the country to buttress his popularity.
He has been supervising work by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services after clipping Governor Mike Sonko's wings.
Political analyst and University of Nairobi lecturer Herman Manyora said Uhuru is determined to obliterate Ruto politically.
“He (Uhuru) is showing that he is the man with the resources. Most of Ruto's projects which he launched months ago never took off,” Manyora said.
The President, Manyora noted, is keen on leaving development footprints across the country ahead of the BBI referendum.
“Ruto was running away with Mt Kenya and now Uhuru wants all people from the region to face the mountain. Many from Mt Kenya were facing Sugoi [Ruto’s home],” Manyora observed.
He said by focusing on Western, which Ruto was trying to galvanise, the President is affirming that he is working with Raila.
The former Prime Minister is Uhuru's former foe-turned-friend and enjoys massive support across Western and the Coast regions.
Uhuru is getting real-time feedback on the status of development projects from CS Matiang’i.
(Edited by V. Graham)