Kindiki to Kenyans: We can’t succeed if you take everything for a joke

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said that Kenya will not succeed if her people settle for taking every intervention by government to be a joke.

Speaking in Windhoek, during a meeting with representatives of Kenyan community professionals in Namibia, Kindiki said that if citizens will align and focus on growth, a lot of success can be achieved.

He cited an instance where some companies have expressed interest in setting shop at the Kenya Leather Industrial Park (KLIP) in Kenanie, Athi River, but some Kenyans still take this to be a joke.

He blamed the same on Kenyans getting used to lies, mediocrity and small dreams.

The Deputy President, however, said that if just a few of the investors that have expressed interests in the project come onboard, many jobs will be created, value added on products, and this will in the end make Kenya a better country.

“We have 32 companies that have expressed interest. It looks like a joke, because Kenyans are used to joking and Kenyans are used to mediocrity and lies and small things, small dreams," he said.

“If we get our act together, we may not get all the investors there, but we are going to get investors there, create jobs, add value to another product, make our country better. But I think you've been socialized to think small, and to look defeated all the time that we cannot succeed.”

He went on to state that KLIP should be ready for launching in June 2025.

The DP said that the project is projected to push job creation in the leather industry from the current 17,000 to about 150,000.

“They are bringing investors there to aggregate hides and skins in the livestock sector so that we stop throwing away hides and skins. Hides and skins are 100 times more valuable than meat, because they are the ones that make the expensive shoes that all of us are wearing here, for men and women. You can imagine that one hide can make several pairs of shoes. Those shoes, one shoe is Sh50,000, Sh40,000 or Sh20,000 but today, all our livestock farmers are throwing hides and skins to be eaten by hyenas or giving them for free to anybody.”

Kindiki has been in Namibia for the last three days.