Kindiki challenges political rivals to campaign on development record, not insults

Speaking after inspecting development projects in Mwea on Friday, Kindiki said political competition should give leaders room to explain what they have done for the people, noting that Kenyans will ultimately use their democratic right to choose the leaders they want.

He challenged his political rivals to similarly account for the projects and initiatives they championed for the country when they held senior government positions.

"I am asking our competitors, because I know most of them have a lot of pride and insults, and they have no respect for anybody. I am pleading with them, before they say 'Kasongo' and 'Soprano,' tell us what developments you delivered for the people of Kirinyaga and Mwea when you were in power. It is as simple as that," Kindiki said.

The Deputy President criticised what he termed politics centred on insults, saying he would rather compete on development than engage in verbal exchanges with his opponents.

"Everybody has his own tactics of leadership. For me, I am not able to insult anybody, and in a competition of insults, I will lose because I have no insults. But when it comes to development competition, no one can defeat me," he said.

Kindiki called for unity and mutual respect among residents, maintaining that political contests should not divide communities since politics is temporary while bonds of friendship, family and community endure beyond elections.

"Let us reduce pride because we are one community, and even after politics and leadership, we will still remain one community," he said.

On development, Kindiki highlighted ongoing road projects across Kirinyaga County, including the Karira Bridge, which he said is now 90 percent complete and expected to be finished within a month and a half, alongside tarmac works set to reach Muthigiti. He said the national government has cleared all outstanding debts owed to road contractors countrywide, allowing stalled projects to resume.

He listed other ongoing road works in the county, including the Piai-Murinduko-Ndindiruku and Kiandegwa roads in Mwea, the Mucifi-Dia road in Gichugu, and various projects in Kirinyaga Central, noting that the government is spending KSh 37 billion on road development in Kirinyaga alone.

On agriculture, Kindiki said the government will not import rice until all locally grown rice, including from Mwea, has been purchased. He noted that coffee prices had risen from KSh 50 to between KSh 140 and KSh 150 over the past four years, while milk prices had increased from KSh 35 in 2022 to about KSh 50 currently. Fertiliser prices, he said, had dropped from KSh 7,000 to KSh 2,000 per bag over the same period, and certified maize seed would now be subsidised to retail at KSh 150 per kilogramme, down from KSh 300.

Kindiki also pointed to the newly completed Kirinyaga County Aggregation and Industrial Park in Sagana, a joint project between the county and national governments costing KSh 500 million, which is set to be operationalised within the coming weeks to support value addition for tomatoes, milk and other agricultural produce.

He further cited the new Mwea Huduma Centre, constructed at a cost of KSh 25 million through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund under Mwea MP Mary Maingi, which now allows residents to access identity documents, birth and death certificates, KRA services and police abstracts locally rather than travelling to Kerugoya or Embu.

On infrastructure beyond the county, Kindiki said the government plans to construct the Nyamindi Dam to boost water supply in the Mwea region and is advancing the Rironi-Mau Summit road through a public-private partnership. He said the Limuru-Rironi section is nearing Naivasha, with the Rironi-Naivasha stretch expected to be complete by October 26 before works extend toward Gilgil and Nakuru.