President Uhuru Kenyatta says his government will forge ahead with the program to resolve the land issue and would not allow itself to be distracted from that path.
Speaking in Kwale County on Friday, the President said the Jubilee Administration was determined to streamline and reform the land sector at the Coast and would do so in consultation with the people and their leaders.
“We are committed to resolving the land issues and we are determined to accomplish that mission… We will do so jointly with the people because we believe doing so is the way to go and we shall not allow ourselves to lose focus,” the President said.
The President, accompanied by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie, Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya and National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, was in Diani to officially open the new Dr Charles Gekonde Otara Conference Centre at the Kaskazi Beach Hotel.
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Local leaders asked the President to also extend the land reform programme to Kwale saying land was a big problem in the county.
President Kenyatta also announced that his government had initiated a program to build and improve infrastructure in Kwale County, including the construction and rehabilitation of the Samburu-Kwale road and completion of Ukunda Airstrip expansion to open up the county’s economy. He also promised to improve water supply through expansion of dams.
“We must work together to succeed. As the national government, I pledge we shall work together to solve problems that Kwale has been facing,” the President said.
He asked local leaders to work together to improve security and the standards of living for women and the youth.
The President also called on local investors to partner with the local people, both by employing young people and supplying goods and services, as the surest way to protect those investments, saying such partnerships would enhance a sense of ownership among locals.
Mr Mvurya, the county’s women’s representative Zainab Chidzuga and Matuga MP Hassan Mwanyoha pledged to work with the government to develop their county but asked the President to intervene to ensure the pledges given to their people are fulfilled.
President Kenyatta said he was exceptionally proud to be opening the rebranded hotel, adding that the ceremony came at a time when the tourism industry in the coast region was experiencing turbulence associated with insecurity.
He said the opening of the hotel was a sure sign that investors were confident the tourism sector would recover, describing Kenya as a unique destination.
“We have beautiful beaches, beautiful parks and beautiful sites across the country that are not comparable to any other,” said President Kenyatta.
-nation.co.ke
