Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua urged Machakos County leaders to build on the foundation he laid as the county's governor to ensure that the area residents have enough food.
Mutua, who spoke on Friday, November 18, underlined that he had strategically developed and steered the county away from dependence on relief food during his ten-years tenure.
His sentiments were perceived to be a thinly veiled attack on his successor, Wavinya Ndeti, who received and flagged relief food donations.
"I want to thank our committee, the national and county government to ensure we get food for the people of Machakos County. As you know we had been removed from the list of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) areas and it was by a mistake," Wavinya chided his predecessor.
In response, the CS recalled past subsidised programs in the agriculture sector, which saw his government buy tractors for the county wards and provide seeds and fertilizer for farmers.
"There is nothing as bad as starving in a country that has so much in abundance. When I became the governor of Machakos in 2013, the residents were starving. We were receiving food relief.
"We deliberately set out to ensure the people of Machakos do not starve again. We had free chicken, we dug over 672 boreholes and over 690 dams for irrigation to ensure our people received food whether it rained or not," Mutua listed some of his achievements.
The CS maintained that Machakos County had surpassed the level of counties classified as ASALs owing to the policies and measures laid down by his administration as the county chief.
In addition, the CS shared testimonials from residents praising his leadership and the gains realized since 2013 when Mutua was first elected as the governor.
"It is possible with focused leadership and with the support of God to actually roll back poverty and ensure people get the benefits they deserve," Mutua stated.
His sentiments elicited mixed reactions, with some praising him for the foundation he laid. However, a section of social media users urged him to focus on the foreign affairs docket.
"You did a good job. Now deliver on your new mandate, bring Kenya tonnes of foreign investors," Peter Juma commented.
"Sir, why now? You just left the office of the governor the other day. Machakos is receiving relief among other counties," Lairuka Sindani wondered.
As of October 2022, nearly 10,000 households in Machakos were reportedly affected by hunger and required urgent humanitarian intervention.
