President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the recruitment of youths from every constituency at the Coast into the NYS, a day after ordering a war on the drug menace in the region.
Uhuru singled out Mombasa Old Town as the first to benefit from an NYS clean-up exercise, saying youths will receive skills training and thousands employed.
“This project is not aimed at benefitting a few areas only, but the whole country. I look forward to joining the youth in the clean up exercise in Old Town,” he said.
He spoke on Friday during a meeting with members of the Coast Parliamentary Group members at State House, Mombasa county.
Twenty six MPs and several MCAs attended the meeting which discussed the region’s development agenda.
Uhuru said the NYS will help curb most of the challenges arising from unemployment, including drug abuse, radicalisation and terrorism.
The programmme, which has benefitted youths in constituencies including Kibera, Kisumu and Thika involves clean-up exercises, and construction of health centres, roads and police posts.
Regarding the drugs war set to begin on Tuesday, Uhuru said MPs and their constituents know who the peddlers are and should expose them.
Uhuru affirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the region’s land problem, saying the aim is to release 3 million title deeds within its first term in office.
He ordered Acting Lands CS Fred Matiang’i, who was present, to immediately issue 144,000 title deeds that are ready.
This is the second phase of the issuance of land ownership documents by the Jubilee government to Coast residents; the first was in August 2013.
Uhuru assured Likoni residents that the Waitiki farm dispute is being finalised and that squatters will be settled soon.
“As leaders, let us be responsible and ensure we do not incite people to invade private property in the name of squatting because the government has shown its determination to assist genuine squatters,” he said.
Matiang’i said the first phase of the survey of the farm has been completed.
Uhuru cited road upgrades, construction of the Standard Gauge Railway and the expansion of the Mombasa port as the development projects the government is implementing at the Coast
Coast leaders – led by Coast Parliamentary Group chairman Gideon Mung’aro – assured the President of the region’s support, saying the government’s efforts are evident.
Mung’aro said people at the Coast want to be “shareholders in the government and not stakeholders”, emphasising that come 2017 all votes from the region will go to Jubilee.
Other speakers included Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir, Mombasa woman representative Mishi Mboko, Kilifi’s Aisha Jumwa, Garsen MP Ibrahim Sane and Lamu East MP Sharif Athuman.
