NYERI, Kenya, Aug 22 – A section of leaders from the Mt Kenya region have now listed demands they want addressed by presidential hopefuls seeking the region’s backing.
Led by Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru, the leaders who convened a 2-day retreat in Laikipia said candidates must promised to revive the dwindling agriculture sector of coffee, tea, milk and horticulture.
The leaders also demanded reduction of loan interest rates which they said had led to collapse of many small and micro businesses in the region after their owners were listed on Credit Reference Bureaus after defaulting on loans owning to unfavorable business conditions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At the moment we are in negotiation table with majority of presidential candidates seeking to succeed one of our own: President Uhuru Kenyatta. We want to ensure that our region’s economic interests are well taken care of for us to throw our weight behind any candidate, ” Waiguru at the end of the retreat in Laikipia’s Kabi Mustini on Saturday.
She said, although the region has been seen to be divided, they will engage politicians with different affiliations to champion the region’s interests.
Kiambu governor James Nyoro said those seeking the support of voters in the region must pledge a favorable tax regime to cushion small businesses from collapse citing demise of many enterprises along Kirinyaga road in the capital Nairobi.
“As a region we must vouch for favorable tax regime you saw what happened at Kirinyaga road where many of our people were pushed out of business due to harsh tax conditions that they could not meet. In fact, many had their properties auctioned; this must not happen again,” said Nyoro.
Other issues the leaders raised was health care, exploitation of investors in the public transport sector and police brutality.
The leaders were concerned that despite paying huge premiums to the insurance industry those in the public transport sector were being subjected to numerous other charges thus reducing their profits.
The latest list of demands for presidential hopefuls comes at a time politicians in the central region are deeply divided with no strong aspirant emerging from within the region.
Leaders in the region are mostly aligned towards two camps; Deputy President William Ruto’s Hustler Nation teams and Raila Odinga’s pro-handshake group.
With the Court of Appeal sustaining the nullification of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitutional review process championed by Odinga’s team, it remains unclear if newfound allies in the region will stick with him.
