Time for Murang'a to produce President, Mwangi wa Iria says

 

Murang’a governor Mwangi wa Iria has reiterated that he will vie for the presidency since it is time for Murang’a to produce the Head of State.

The governor said for decades Murang’a county has supported other counties in the Central region that have produced presidents and that it is time for them to reciprocate the favour.

He said that since the late Kenneth Matiba’s unsuccessful quest for the presidency, no other leader from Murang’a county has joined the race.

Two of Kenya's presidents, Jomo Kenyatta and his son Uhuru, are from Kiambu. The third President Mwai Kibaki is from Nyeri.

Wa Iria said Murang'a, which is considered critical in the politics of Central, cannot continue to watch from the sidelines as other regions fight for the seat.

The governor who is on his second term said he will start a campaign to unite the Mt Kenya region this year.

“I am almost done with my second term and this year, I will go around the region, from county to county, calling for unity and asking people to ensure they register as voters ahead of 2022 because their strength lies in their votes,” he said.

“In 2022, I will contest for the seat against the other contenders and I am not afraid to fail. Should I not garner enough votes, I will try again the next time”.

He said unlike other leaders, he is not awaiting the support of any sort from top leaders as it is Kenyans who will make the ultimate decision on the best candidate.

Wa Iria said this in Murang’a town on Thursday while issuing assorted foods to vulnerable residents.

The exercise reached over 10,000 people across the county and was carried out in each of the 35 wards.

The governor appealed to the government to suspend all other development programmes and ensure all Kenyans receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

“This virus has killed many and disrupted the lives of almost every Kenyan. People who were previously financially independent are struggling to get food,” he said.

He said his vision for the New Year is to uplift the lives of the low-earning locals to ensure they become economically stable and improve their quality of life.

He cited the newly Wachuuzi sacco that will start giving loans to small scale traders especially hawkers without permanent premises this month.

Ufundi Kwa Vijana sacco will see over 200,000 youths benefit from free technical courses and small loans to enable them acquire their tools of trade.

The county government will also issue cheques to 2,000 students benefiting from full scholarships up to Form Four next week.

The programme dubbed Nyota Zetu started two years ago and picks 1,000 new beneficiaries every year with the aim of ensuring bright students from poor backgrounds join their schools of choice to access high quality education.

“By 2022, we will have 4,000 students in the programme and with time, they will be able to change the status of their families and support the community,” Wa Iria said.