Across the counties, Kenya’s 62nd Jamhuri Day celebrations were dominated by firm appeals for safety, development, and unity. Leaders eloquently recited some of their areas’ top priorities and emerging issues through that medium.
It was a red letter day for Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru when she used the national day to showcase the large-scale economic projects that promise to radically change the local economy. The main ticket initiatives that she saw as the key to creating a total of more than 10,000 direct and 170,000 indirect jobs are; first, the Sagana Export Processing Zone (EPZ), second the Special Economic Zone, and finally the soon-to-be-completed County Aggregation and Industrial Park.
Waiguru proclaimed that these projects would plant the roots of growth in agro-industry, tourism, transport, and logistics which would be the main sectors through which Kirinyaga will be positioned as a regional investment hub.
At the same time, County Commissioner Hussein Allasow, Kirinyaga was not playing when he warned the miraa transporters and speeding motorists to stop their acts or face the consequences.
He urged the traffic police to ramp up road safety enforcement not only during the Jamhuri Day period but throughout the whole festive season. Reckless driving, he said, is the major cause of road accidents in the county. Allasow declared that the fight against illicit alcohol trade in Kirinyaga will be intensified.
In Nyeri County, the atmosphere was markedly different, as the County Commissioner, Josephat Biwott, was quite disconcerted with the unprecedented rise in suicide cases.
It has become a monthly routine for the county to lose ten people to suicide, a shocking trend that has Biwott calling for immediate intervention. Over the past several months, Nyeri has also seen 70 fire cases and 76 road accidents, thus amplifying the issue of public safety.
The celebration of Jamhuri Day in Kajiado was also marred by low attendance of which locals were blamed. However, Governor Joseph Ole Lenku rallied the people of the county and the entire nation to develop love for different cultures and live in unity as true patriots and a sure way to progress.
Elswhere in West Pokot, Governor Simon Kachapin warned politicians to desist from such activities as holding their rallies early and that doing so can really hamper local development mission. Talking about Kapenguria town, he said the situation was dire because of rise in crimes and hence appealed to the police and other security organs to be more vigilant.
The 62nd Jamhuri Day celebrations represent not only a year of Kenya’s freedom but also a mix of progress, issues, and a call to action regarding safety, development, and unity throughout the country.
