A section of leaders from Machakos County have strongly pushed back against remarks by President William Ruto, accusing them of opposing development initiatives in the Ukambani region.
Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi led the charge, dismissing the President’s assertions and placing responsibility for the region’s underdevelopment squarely on the national government.
Mwangangi was responding to President Ruto’s remarks made on Saturday during a visit to the Eastern Kenya Integrated College in Mitaboni, where the Head of State suggested that Ukambani had lagged behind due to its leaders’ political choices.
The President pointed out that regions such as Luo Nyanza were receiving more development projects because their leaders chose to work with the Kenya Kwanza government early on. He implied that Ukambani leaders, many of whom backed opposition leader Raila Odinga in the 2022 elections, had failed to collaborate with his administration.
But Mwangangi, speaking during a Citizen TV breakfast show and later in a Facebook post, accused the President of using Ukambani leaders as scapegoats to cover for his government’s failure to implement promised projects in the region.
“No leader has denied development coming to Ukambani, and the President should not use his failure to deliver to this region as a scapegoat,” Mwangangi stated.
He further criticized the growing trend of inviting delegations to State House to seek favours, describing it as a diversion from addressing real development needs.
“This tendency of inviting Kenyans to State House for handouts in the name of listening to their issues is simply denying Kenyans the services they deserve, leaving them at the mercy of political goodwill,” he added.
On Sunday, Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti also appeared to respond to the President’s comments. Speaking during a church service in Masinga Sub-County, she reiterated her administration’s support for national development initiatives and called on the government to fulfill its pledges to the region.
“We have worked together to ensure our people benefit from development. I have given land for the construction of modern markets, and we have shared a list of stalled roads. Now, the national government should play its part in the region,” she said.
