Has President Uhuru Kenyatta lost touch with the people of Central Kenya? This is the question a number of people have been asking even as Mr. Kenyatta keeps missing in action with his Deputy William Ruto taking advantage of his absence to solidify his support base in the region heading into 2022.
It will be remembered that early last month, Uhuru and Opposition Chief Raila Odinga were set to visit the Central Region to popularize their handshake among the people, some of whom felt betrayed and were disgruntled by it.
This highly anticipated high profile visit did not happen after the National Intelligence Service (NIS) allegedly informed the duo that they would be subjected to ridicule.
It is claimed that Uhuru was advised not to visit Central without first looking into the grave matters affecting the people from the region, people who voted for him overwhelmingly during the past two General Elections.
Saddened by the sudden change of attitude towards him by people from his own backyard, Uhuru tasked Interior PS Karanja Kibicho with the role of identifying where the problem was and how to address it.
A number of influential businessmen and politicians from the region were also tasked to help the President regain his lost glory in the Mt. Kenya region.
Among suggestions given to Uhuru was that he help’s traders, especially the small scale traders safeguard and grow their businesses.
Last week also saw Uhuru put on hold his planned tour of Nyeri County. This was to allow him ample time to implement the recommendations given to him so as to help quell the growing disaffection.
The head of State was set to be in Kieni Constituency to preside over the launch of Huduma Mashinani and disbursements from Uwezo Fund to youth and women’s groups.
“We got communication the visit had been postponed to a later date,” Kieni legislator Kanini Kega said.
Uhuru has lately come under intense pressure from the people of Central Kenya with many from the area claiming that he has abandoned them and has instead focused on showering love to different parts of the Country.
A number of Politicians have decried the poor state of Infrastructure in the region with some businessmen arguing that Uhuru through his Jubilee administration has crafted punitive and restrictive policies that have hampered their growth.
For instance, the coffee and tea economic sectors are dead and some farmers threatening to uproot the crops.
The war on counterfeit goods is also said to have hit a good number of traders from the region. This therefore informs President Uhuru’s recent directive that saw him order for the release of goods that had been confiscated at the Embakasi Inland Container Depot.
“Traders have been lamenting that their businesses are suffering because of the delays here at the depot. We have agreed that all containers that have not been cleared be released within three weeks so traders can continue their businesses,” Said Uhuru.
Also, President Kenyatta’s recent directive that government agencies pay all pending bills to suppliers by June has been seen as a major win for the people of Central Kenya with many of the suppliers coming from the region.
MPs from the area led by Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria have been pushing the Government to pay out large sums of money it owes to a number of traders and suppliers.
Kuria had even sponsored an amendment to the procurement law.
He sought to compel the government to pay tenders for women, youth and persons living with disabilities within 30 days.
Kuria has since insisted that he was not pushing for a rebellion against the Jubilee government and President Kenyatta. He said that he was just fighting for the rights of concerned traders.
“I am extremely happy by the President’s move. We do not have any rebellion. We just want our issues to be resolved,” he said.
Other MPs like Kanini Kega of Kieni, Kimani Ichungwa of Kikuyu and Ndindi Nyoro of Kiharu have also been pushing the government to pay traders and suppliers on time.
Uhuru’s latest directive is therefore a win not just for them but also for their people of Central Kenya.
The President is working round the clock to please the people who gave everything to see him take over from Kibaki in 2013 and trounce Raila not once but three times.
It remains to be seen if the people will fall for his latest advances and start dancing to his tunes again.
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