{UAH} Pojim/WBK: For your reading pleasure! 10 things Rift Valley wants in Uhuru visit | The Star
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10 things Rift Valley wants in Uhuru visit
If President Uhuru Kenyatta wants Rift Valley votes, he had better heed MPs' 10 demands when he visits Western and North Rift starting today.
They include reinstating suspended Cabinet Secretaries allied to Deputy President William Ruto, appointing more people from the region, helping maize, tea and dairy farmers, fixing roads and expanding Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Kenyatta and Ruto are on a three-day tour to inspect, commission and launch development projects.
Uhuru is to visit Kakamega, Bungoma, Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties, the latter are Ruto's home turf.
The tour comes a few days after Cord leader Raila Odinga toured South Rift where he denied "fixing" Ruto on trial at the ICC.
In Eldoret tomorrow MPs will present demands for Elgeyo Marakwet, Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties.
"We welcome him and tell him what he must do for Jubilee to remain afloat for 2017," Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter said on behalf of colleagues.
Political activist Joseph Chumba said if the President fulfills the demands, he would ease pressure to have Devolution CS Anne Waiguru sacked, a move spearheaded by Keter.
Atop their agenda is reinstatement of influential CSs and other civil servants from the region who were suspended over graft allegations and subsequently cleared.
They include Felix Koskei of Agriculture and Davis Chirchir of Energy who are are close to Ruto. If they are left out in the political cold, the community will feel betrayed.
The list include Ruto's former chief of staff, Maryanne Keitany and Kenya Pipeline CEO Charles Tonui.
They want former acting CEO of the Kenya Wildlife Service William Kiprono given a top government job.
"We have a long list of other people from the community who have been frustrated in government and the President has to tackle that," Keter said.
The second demand is total support for Ruto, charged with crimes against humanity at the ICC.
The third is expansion of Moi Referral Hospital at an initial cost of Sh17 billion. The financing contractor are ready but the project has stalled.
"It's turning into another scandal and we want the truth," Keter said.
Other demands are helping maize, tea and dairy farmers.
Maize farmers face marketing projects. The government has not increased funding for the NCPB, which MPs say is on the verge of collapse.
Dairy farmers complain lack of support for the sector has caused milk prices to drop. They want a write-off of Sh500 million in New KCC debts and the firm reverted to farmers..
"The tea secto has challenges. Our farmers get lower bonuses than farmers elsewhere," Keter said.
MPs also demand resettlement of all integrated IDPs, mostly from the Kalenjin community, who lost homes in the post-election violence. Other communities were treated better, they said.
Rift leaders want roads tarmacked before 2017. They include the Kesses-Lessos road linking Uasin Gishu County to Nandi through areas near Moi University.
"We will welcome the President as our leader and expect him to tackle our people's problems,"
Chesumei MP Elijah Lagat said.
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