Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has released a statement detailing issues discussed in a meeting with Leaders from the Ukambani region. The former Machakos County Governor detailed six issues they had discussed including seven concerns they would put forward to President William Ruto in an upcoming engagement.
"We are set to engage H.E. the President William Ruto to discuss urgent development priorities including; road Infrastructure by enhancing connectivity to boost economic growth," Mutua stated.
During their engagement, the leaders also agreed they would raise issues concerning education standards, water resources, and electricity provision in the region.
Employment opportunities, business support, and professional appointments to key positions in the Kenya Kwanza Government were also mentioned as key issues that would be brought to the attention of the President.
Among the leaders present for the meeting was Kibwezi West Member of Parliament (MP) Mwengi Mutuse who was captured in the pictures shared addressing the meeting.
Mutuse was instrumental in the removal of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from office after tabling a motion to remove him from office in early October. On October 17, Gachagua was successfully impeached after the Senate upheld the decision by the National Assembly to unseat him.
In addition to the seven requests to Ruto, the Kamba leaders further discussed five more issues including the accessibility of leadership and empowerment opportunities for the people of Ukambani. This was closely followed by a discussion on developmental priorities.
According to CS Mutua, unity and transparency were key considerations in this discussion.
The third issue they discussed was matters of youth empowerment where he stated that the leaders had committed to mentorship and skills development programs to prepare young people for future leadership roles.
They further resorted to launching a community engagement plan by conducting listening tours across countries with significant Kamba people presence.
This will include the three predominantly Ukambani counties—Kitui, Machakos, and Makueni— and counties with a significant Kamba presence like; Nairobi, Kilifi, Mombasa, Taveta, Embu, and Kwale.
In the same bid to strengthen national contribution, the leaders further came up with an action plan stating, "The Kamba community is an integral part of Kenya, and we must take a proactive role in national development. We must harness our potential, seize available opportunities, and position ourselves as key contributors to Kenya’s progress."
This will include community visits, youth programs and development follow-ups.
