Kindiki Pledges to Fast-Track Development, Revive Stalled Projects in Meru » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to accelerating development projects across the country, including in Meru County.
Speaking Tuesday during a consultative meeting with elected leaders, grassroots representatives, professionals, and economic sector stakeholders from Meru, Kindiki emphasized that his engagements were focused solely on economic progress, not politics.
“Today’s meeting is about the development of Meru County—how the national government can unlock and expedite projects for the people. We are not talking politics,” he asserted.
“It would be a great disservice to the people of Meru to call them and discuss who should be governor, MP, or any other leader. We must separate politics from development,” he added.
Annual County-Level Engagements
The Deputy President revealed that the government had committed to annual county-level engagements to track progress on both national and county government programs.
Meru is the eighth county to hold such consultations, following similar meetings in Embu, Taita Taveta, Kajiado, Tharaka Nithi, Isiolo, Samburu, and Kiambu.
“I am going to meet the remaining 39 counties in the next 60 days,” Kindiki stated.
Economic Stability and Agricultural Growth
Acknowledging the economic challenges inherited by the government, Kindiki maintained that President William Ruto’s administration had stabilized the situation and was now focused on improving household incomes.
“It took the President two years to stabilize the economy. Now, we are building on this foundation to increase household incomes and improve livelihoods,” he said.
The Deputy President disclosed that, for the first time in 16 years, Kenya would not need to import maize due to sufficient local production.
Similarly, he noted that the sugar industry had stabilized, reducing the need for mass imports.
“This is a direct result of our economic growth strategy. We are working hard to maintain stable prices for food, fuel, and basic commodities, while managing inflation, interest rates, and exchange rates—all crucial for macroeconomic stability,” he said.
He also highlighted government efforts to streamline key agricultural sectors, including dairy, tea, coffee, macadamia, and cotton.
“Higher earnings have already been reported in the tea, coffee, and dairy subsectors. We will continue making targeted interventions to ensure farmers benefit,” Kindiki assured.
Reviving Stalled Projects in Meru
The Deputy President pledged to revive all stalled development projects in Meru, some of which had been abandoned during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s first term.
“Because of economic growth, we can now revive these projects. We have allocated funds for last-mile electricity connections, market development, and County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) in Meru,” he said.
He challenged Meru residents to hold him accountable in a year’s time.
“A year from now, task me to explain what we have done to make Meru better than we found it,” he stated.
Miraa Prices and Government Interventions
Kindiki credited the government’s interventions for the recent rise in miraa prices, dismissing claims that the price surge was coincidental.
“President Ruto made deliberate interventions to ensure miraa farmers benefit. As his deputy, I am enforcing these directives, and more support is coming,” he said.
With ongoing reforms in various agricultural sectors, Kindiki assured farmers that the government remained committed to improving their earnings and ensuring sustainability in agriculture.