President Uhuru Kenyatta held a meeting with a cross-section of Western Kenya leaders who paid him a courtesy visit at State House, Nairobi on Tuesday.
The Head of State assured the leaders, drawn from the five Western Kenya Counties of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Trans-Nzoia and Vihiga, of the Government’s commitment to ensure all ongoing development projects in the populous region are completed as scheduled.
On their part, the leaders who included Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa and Governors Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega), Wycliffe Wangamati (Bungoma), Wilbur Ottichillo (Vihiga) and Sospeter Ojaamong (Busia) thanked the President for the various development projects which they said had transformed the lives and wellbeing of the people of Western Kenya.
The leaders particularly thanked President Kenyatta for his timely intervention that led to the degazettement of Chetambe Hills as a national forest reserve.
The enforcement of the July 2021 gazettement of the heavily-settled 406-acres of land would have led to the displacement of over 10,000 residents of Maraka and Mihuu Wards in Webuye East Constituency, Bungoma County.
The meeting comes two days after Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader Musalia Mudavadi in his “earthquake” speech hinted at working together with Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party to form the next government.
Mudavadi accused President Kenyatta’s fore-turned-ally Raila Odinga, the party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of deceiving the nation and playing the game of distrust in the government amidst an ailing economy due to heavy borrowing and harrowing taxes.
The ANC party boss also dismissed the Odinga-led Azimio La Umoja as a potential partner in the August 9, 2022, general election.
For the past year, President Kenya has tried to talk down One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals to work together with Odinga to succeed him.
OKA, seemingly, appears weak following the January 23 grand convention by Mudavadi when his fellow principals both Kalonzo Musyoka of Wiper party and Gideon Moi of KANU walked out of the venue.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s meeting with Mulembe leaders could be termed as a turnaround strategy to counter Mudavadi’s move, a man considered as the Luhya kingpin.
