Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on October 16 defended President William Ruto’s development achievements while urging voters to view the 2027 General Election as a choice between concrete delivery and empty rhetoric.
Speaking at rallies in the Ndia and Gichugu constituencies of Kirinyaga County, he said, “Next year’s contest will be a contest between ideas and rhetoric. It will be a contest between Kenya’s future and its past, between work and insults, between inclusion and exclusion, and between policies and noise,” urging the electorate to judge leaders by tangible outcomes such as road networks, electricity provision, agricultural reforms and other projects rather than slogans or personal attacks.
Kindiki highlighted ongoing road works in Gichugu, noting roughly 100 kilometres of construction – 53 kilometres in the eastern part and 42 kilometres in the west – and pointed to the government’s plan to tarmac 571 kilometres across Kirinyaga at an estimated cost of KSh42 billion, projects intended to ease the movement of tea, coffee and milk to markets.
On electrification, he reported that 32,000 households in the county have been connected since September 2022 and that a further KSh845 million has been earmarked to link 10,800 homes, with an additional KSh75 million allocated for 2,100 households in Gichugu.
He also cited higher coffee prices, saying some factories now pay farmers KSh150 per kilogram compared with KSh50-60 in 2022, while acknowledging ongoing challenges for tea growers and promising government measures to improve their earnings.
Other initiatives mentioned included 110 affordable housing units in Kianyaga, student accommodation at the Gichugu Technical and Vocational Education and Training institute, modern market developments and the completion of the KSh500 million County Aggregation and Industrial Park at Sagana to boost agricultural value chains.
Kindiki challenged opposition figures to present their own development records, asking them to account for roads, water projects and electricity connections delivered while in office, and warned he would not engage with insults, stating “If you resort to insults, I will not answer you because I am not available for that kind of politics.”
He cautioned political leaders against incitement and violence as the campaign season approaches, urging avoidance of attacks, road blockades and looting, and quoted “No country can be built through violence.”
Concluding, Kindiki said the government still has work to do in agriculture, infrastructure, health and education, and urged voters to assess performance against the promises made when the administration took office.
