Kiambu County residents have been challenged to be wise at the ballot in next year’s general elections and vote in leaders who will impact growth and transformation.
The locals were told to gauge well their leaders and ensure that those voted into offices hold high levels of integrity and are development-oriented.
The sentiments were made by MPs Elijah Njoroge Kururia and his Thika counterpart Alice Ng’ang’a during an empowerment programme at Maria-ini village in Gatundu North, Kiambu County.
Ng’ang’a who’s eyeing the county’s gubernatorial seat in next year’s polls said that it’s imperative for the electorate to chose leaders who will address their plight and ensure that resources reach them at the grassroots.
She noted that for long, Kiambu residents have endured pains accessing quality healthcare services in local health facilities due to failure by the current regime to streamline services.
She singled out incidences where nursing mothers were detained at facilities including Ruiru level four hospital, Kiambu and Thika level five hospitals, after failing to clear bills.
“I’m a mother and I know the pain of bearing children and there’s no way I can detain fellow mothers in hospitals. Some of the mothers hail from poor backgrounds and face difficult times raising the required resources to cater for hospital bills. This has been underservice to Kiambu residents,” she said.
The MP reiterated that quality healthcare provision should be the county’s top priority noting that streamlining services goes beyond building facilities but ensuring that the facilities are well staffed and well stocked with medical and non-medical supplies.
She at the same time noted that empowering youths to start their own income-generating ventures remain a top priority quipping that if voted, her administration will partner with the 12 Members of Parliament in the county to support youths being churned of from tertiary and vocational institutions.
“Our children are still in home despite having skills because they lack the seed capital to start their own enterprises. We will be committing sh 100,000 to every skilled youth after they complete their vocational training as a boost to their career life and enable them participate in building and growing our economy,” Ng’ang’a said.
Her sentiments were echoed by MP Kururia who noted that leaders must strive to address key issues bedeviling the community especially roads. He noted that currently, most access roads that lie within the mandate of the county government, are in deplorable state.
The MP challenged the county leaders to prioritize projects that directly affect the daily life of the electorate.
“Our people have been receiving chicks and piglets from the current administration since 2022 while crucial matters like health and roads have been totally neglected. Our people can afford to buy chicks but they cannot construct roads for themselves,” he noted.
Kururia added, “For instance, the situation at the only health facility in Gatundu North constituency, Igegania Level Four Hospital, is dire. The facility lacks crucial services like the emergency and casualty services. Our people are forced to go to Gatundu level Five Hospital or Thika. Instead of addressing this, the current administration is keen on distributing chicks which is just a mere PR stunt.”
Residents led by Phillip Ndung’u echoed similar sentiments saying that more than a decade after devolution, villages should be enjoying improved services owing to the billions of money that the local government has received.
“We need to see value for our money. We cannot be reminding our leaders of their mandate. We want better roads, quality healthcare services among other services,” Ndung’u said.
