Former Deputy President
Rigathi Gachagua has criticized President William Ruto's ongoing development
tour of Western Kenya claiming it has shifted focus from key regional development issues to
discussions centred on him.
Speaking
during a TikTok Live session on Tuesday, Gachagua expressed concern over the matter and asked
the President to focus on development matters, and not him.
“The President and his team go to a region,
and instead of discussing roads, water, or struggling sugar factories, they are
busy discussing one person—me,” Gachagua said.
He
urged the government to focus on tangible issues such as reviving sugar
factories, improving road infrastructure, providing clean water, and addressing
healthcare shortages.
Gachagua also noted that these
matters should take precedence over political matters.
“We’ve
seen this script before. When he visited Mount Kenya, he knew every road by name and every village by heart. He’s now doing the same in Western Kenya,” Gachagua
said.
President
Ruto has spent four days in Western Kenya launching and inspecting several
development projects.
These
include issuing bonuses to sugarcane farmers at Mumias Sugar Company, the
tarmacking of the Mumias-Musanda road, flood control initiatives in Budalang’i,
the Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project, and the foundation stone laying for
Khwisero Mother Child Level IV Hospital in Kakamega County.
Other
milestones include the groundbreaking for Luanda Modern Market in Vihiga County,
inspecting the Nasewa EPZA project in Busia, and overseeing agricultural
initiatives.
However,
Gachagua argued that these efforts could be overshadowed by political
grandstanding.
“I urge the people of Western Kenya to focus
on ensuring development and not be swayed otherwise,” he added.
The former deputy president also emphasized that the people of Western Kenya should scrutinize promises made by the government and hold leaders accountable.
