President Uhuru Kenyatta held a lengthy meeting with Kwale leaders on Wednesday where he outlined a raft of measures to lift the county out of poverty.
Kenyatta met all Members of Parliament from Kwale together with Governor Salim Mvurya and Senator Boy Juma Boy at State House in Nairobi.
The meeting came hours after another meeting by Coast MPs which rejected Cord’s call to remove Gideon Mung’aro as deputy minority whip at National Assembly.
Kwale politicians,who are all in Cord, have in the past gone against the coalition and promised to support the government.
Kenyatta promised a numbers of goodies for the region during the State House meeting.
First on the list of the projects that would be completed within this year is the tarmacking of Samburu-Kinango-Kwale road.
“This road is a priority this year and we will put emphasis on it so that we can open up the economy of the county,” said the President.
Another crucial project aimed at improving the lives of people in Kwale is the development of a water supply system at Mkanda dam.
The Kwale County Government has already allocated Sh150 million towards the projects.
Kenyatta instructed Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary Judy Wakhungu who attended the meeting to undertake feasibility studies and support the County to finish the project.
The dam holds sufficient water to supply the whole of Lunga Lunga and Matuga counties all year round.
“I want this project completed as soon as possible,” said the President.
Another priority project that will be undertaken by Government is the upgrading of Ukunda Airstrip.
The President informed the leaders that the upgrading plans for the airstrip were in top gear.
Kenyatta also said the Government will next year start working on plans to develop a fishing port at Shimoni.
“Mombasa port can continue handling cargo and Shimoni will be for the fishing industry,” he said.
Also to be fast-tracked is the issuing of title deeds to residents of Kwale.
Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu, who attended the meeting, will soon visit the County in the company of her Environment counterpart to hold further meetings with the leaders to iron out any outstanding issues.
During their visit, the Cabinet Secretaries will hold another meeting to resolve issues relating to human wildlife conflict.
Msambweni MP Suleiman Dori said locals will feel protected once they have title deeds.
“The rich who have grabbed land for the poor are the same people who are spreading ethnic hatred at the coast,” he said.
The Governor also presented an official invitation from the County Assembly of Kwale requesting President Kenyatta to meet them in Kwale.
President Kenyatta said he would meet the County Assembly members as soon as possible after the end of the month of Ramadhan.
The other leaders in the delegation were Kinango MP Gonzi Rai, LungaLunga MP Khatib Mwashetani, Matuga MP Hassan Mwanyoha and Kwale Women Rep Zeinab Chidzuga.
- the-star.co.ke
