President William Ruto has announced a series of development projects aimed at transforming livelihoods of residents along the coast including secured a Ksh315M plan to fence off 140km of Tsavo Park bordering villages in Ganze, to curb human- wildlife conflict.
Speaking on Sunday, during a thanksgiving service for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs at Mnagoni Primary School grounds in Bamba in Ganze Constituency, Kilifi County, Ruto said fencing projects targets villages bordering Tsavo Park which have borne the brunt of wildlife invading their farms.
President Ruto also directed that the Shirango Conservancy, which he says was illegally registered without the knowledge of residents, be immediately deregistered and the land handed back to the locals.
On blue economy, Ruto announced over Ksh10 billion investment at the Coast which include five major fish landing sites along the Kenyan coast at a cost of Ksh840 million, three fish markets worth Ksh350 million, 272 modern fishing boats distributed to fishermen across the region, a Ksh1.5 billion hatchery and Ksh2 billion Shimoni Fish Port, both in Kwale County.
President Ruto said these are intentional investments aimed at strengthening the economic backbone of many families in the region who depend on fishing.
“We are doing all these because that is the only way to transform our country,” he said.
Additionally, President Ruto said Government is investing more than Ksh25 billion in transformative projects under the Affordable Housing Programme in Kilifi County.
These include, the President pointed out, Ksh18 billion for affordable housing units across the county as well as Ksh1.2 billion for building 10 modern markets.
He also said more than Ksh2 billion has been allocated for hostels for students in universities, tcchnical and vocational colleges and Kenya Medical Training College centres.
“In yester years, such kind of investment was only dreamt of. But we are making it a reality now,” he said.
President Ruto commended PS Fikirini for being a diligent public servant, who has proven that the young people can deliver when given a chance to prove themselves.
He pointed out that the PS had played a critical role in the successful roll-out of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA), a government programme aimed at empowering the youth with cash to start or boost their businesses.
“I am very proud of the record of this young man as a Principal Secretary and a servant of the Government and people of Kenya,” he said.
On electricity, President Ruto said the government is investing Ksh2.2 billion to connect 20,000 households to power in the county.
Moreover, he said, the completion of Malindi-Weru-Kilifi and Rabai-Bomani-Kilifi transmission lines will ensure stable electricity supply to the region, spurring economic development.
At the same time, President Ruto called on the residents to take all their children to school, saying education is the greatest equaliser in life.
“I call on parents, chiefs and village elders to make sure that, for whatever reason, no child remains at home when schools are in session,” he said.
The President explained that his administration has hired 100,000 teachers in just three years to cut teacher shortage that was facing the country.
He pointed out that in Kilifi County, 2,860 teachers have been recruited in the past three years compared to just 700 employed in the five-year period between 2017 and 2022.
On healthcare, he said the Government has disbursed KSh1.4 billion to hospitals in Kilifi County over the past one and half years under the Social Health Authority.
“Consequently, the county government now has resources to expand and equip local health facilities under them,” he said.
Furthermore, the President said his administration is on track to comprehensively solving the issue of absentee landlords at the Coast, a challenge that has eluded past governments.
Of the 1.5 million title deeds issued by the Government in the past three years nationally, he said 381,000 have been given to residents at the Coast.
Another 200,00 families would be issued with title deeds in the next 90 days when the ongoing adjudication of land is completed. This would solve this challenge, which he blamed for widespread poverty in the region.
“Citizens must live with certainty; they must plan with certainty knowing that this is their land. If they continue being squatters, they cannot invest,” he said.
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