COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF MERU

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

SPEECH BY HON. KIRAITU MURUNGI, GOVERNOR OF MERU COUNTY DURING THE 55^TH JAMHURI DAY, 12^TH DECEMBER, 2018

County Commissioner,

Senator,

Deputy Governor,

Members of Parliament,

Honourable Speaker,

Heads of Departments of National Government in the County,

Honourable Members of the County Assembly of Meru,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am very happy to welcome all of you to this year’s 55^th Jamhuri Day celebrations. This is a very special Jamhuri Day; it is a youth led Jamhuri Day. It is only through the efforts of our young people that Meru shall truly become great.

I am very pleased by all the youths who have entertained us here today. I am very impressed to see young people sing in Kimeru language and showcase our cultural dances. Indeed, Meru has enormous talent. I am assured that our culture is safe in the hands of the young generation.

My administration is working very closely with the National Government in the spirit of mutual cooperation and consultation. We are all focused on service delivery to the people of Meru County. I am confident that this partnership will bring enormous progress in the years to come. I have directed all administrators at the sub-counties and wards to accord all the necessary support to their counterparts working for the National Government.

As you all know, Jamhuri Day is the most significant national day in Kenya. It is the day we celebrate our freedom and the birth of the Republic called Kenya.

The rights and freedoms that we enjoy as Kenyans were not just given to us. They were fought for by those who came before us. I want you to join me in celebrating the brave men and women who sacrificed everything they had for Kenya to become an independent state. This day should always serve as a reminder that we should never take our freedom and the peace that we enjoy in this country for granted.

During independence, the founding fathers of this nation envisioned a country free from poverty, ignorance and disease. They urged the people not to dwell so much on independence celebrations but to immediately embark on nation building. They wanted Kenyans to use the same zeal and energy that they had used to defeat colonialists to build the post-independence Kenya. The ability to quickly adapt and forge ahead while cognizant of the past struggles is what has brought Kenya this far.

I am very happy that as a county we have been privileged to have produced sons and daughters who fought for Kenyan’s independence and steered the development of this country post independent. We should always honour these men and women and be proud to be Merus and Kenyans. We have already passed a law that will pave way for recognition of our heroes and heroines. When the Assembly resume from recess next year they will assist us to constitute a board to implement that law.

When most people hear of freedom fighters they think of men. The role of women in the struggle for independence is always forgotten. Allow me today to celebrate all the women who in one way or another participated in the liberation struggle for this country. Although most women were not on the frontline, they supported men as housekeepers when the men were away fighting; they supplied food and arms to them; they gave them moral support and acted as spies for them. Early this year, we launched the Meru Twaweza Program to promote economic empowerment of women and enhance their political and social visibility in recognition of the important role that women play in the development of this county. We shall continue to support this program as it seeks to reach out to all women in this county.

My Government is working very hard to ensure that our people enjoy the fruits of independence. Next year we shall roll out a comprehensive universal health care programme (Meru Care) which will allow people to access free health services in all our facilities at a nominal fee of Kshs.2000 per year per household. We are also working with a donor organization, Henry Family Advised Fund to eliminate neglected surgical diseases such as cleft lip and palate, cataracts, clubfoot, hernia, obstetric fistula, and neglected injury from Meru County and ensure our people enjoy good health. Our community health workers and Meru Youth Service shall soon be visiting your homes to register people with the neglected surgical diseases for intervention by our doctors. Patients will not be charged for this service.

We have introduced a number of projects to alleviate our people from poverty. Notably, we have drilled 100 boreholes in the dry parts of Lower Central Imenti, Buuri, Tigania East, Tigania West, Igembe Central, Igembe South and Igembe North. In the same areas, 400 water pans have been excavated with the help of the National Government. We embarked on this ambitious project after realising that if we continued at the same pace at which the previous administrations were trying to sort out the issues of water scarcity in these areas, it would have taken decades to achieve tangible results. I want to urge residents of these areas to seize this new found opportunity and use the water to improve their livelihoods in agriculture and livestock production. In addition we are introducing macadamia and avocado tree farming to our farmers in order to increase household incomes.

Today I am not here to talk so much about the past; I am here to discuss the future. And the future is our youth. This is why my Government decided to dedicate this 55^th Jamhuri Day to the youth. I am saddened by the fact that today majority of our young do not attach any importance or meaning to Jamhuri Day or other national days as a result of youth unemployment, poverty, apathy and hopelessness. To a young who remains unemployed years after completing school, this day is a bitter reminder of another year gone by with nothing to show for it. I want to change this narrative. I want the youths of Meru to be a symbol of success and prosperity.

People below 35 years outnumber those that are above 35 years. Therefore, young people must be part of the answer to the challenges that we face today as a county. Those of us in leadership positions must adopt a new way of thinking to be able to respond to the challenges of the modern society that we live in.

I have tasked the Meru Economic and Social Council led by Amb. Francis Muthaura to develop a vision 2040 for this County. This vision belongs to the youths of this County. The Council has developed the first draft and we shall soon be coming to you to give your ideas and input on the same. Majority of us will not be there in the year 2040, but you will be there. I want the young people to be at the centre of this vision as implementers and beneficiaries. I want to work with the young people to transform this County economically and socially.

This year we launched the Meru Youth Service program and I am happy to report that it has been a huge success and we have received a lot admiration as well as support. Allow me to commend the young men and women who helped us set revenue targets, for the good work that you did when you were manning cess collection points and parking spaces. During that period we were to attain increased revenue collections never witnessed before in this county.

This is clear indication that if we all work hard, we can achieve the Meru We Want. I challenge every youth in this County to do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are to make your Meru Great, as well as the community that you live in.

In April next year, we shall recruit more youths to join the service. On Monday this week, I constituted the Meru Youth Service Board which will oversee the running of the affairs of the Service from now onwards. I have tasked them to ensure that the welfare of all the youths in the MYS program is taken care of. I have also asked them to reach out to other youths who are not in the service to pick their ideas on how the Government can assist the young people to overcome the challenges that they face in their daily lives.

I have also launched the Meru County Cultural Board not only to promote our culture and heritage but also to find ways of promoting music and creative arts among the youths as a source of employment. I want Merus to be recognised nationally for their songs, music and dances. Regrettably, our identity as Merus has been seriously eroded. And so are our values and everything we were known for. Most of the young people are not proud to be associated with the Kimeru culture and language. As our forefathers told us " mwacha mila ni mtumwa". We cannot be truly free unless we know who we are as a people. I want our young people to learn and embrace the Kimeru way of life. I want you to be proud of our language, culture and identity as Merus.

As I conclude, I wish to urge the people of Meru County to shun negative media publicity and prophets and prophetesses of doom whose work is to create despair in your hearts. Freedom of speech and principles of democracy are good for our society. But the road to achieving development in a democratic way may sometimes be rough and full of roadblocks. However, this is the only sustainable way. We shall not silence our critics; we shall treat their voices as concerns as we continue planning and implementing our development agenda.

I wish you all a very Happy Jamhuri Day and Merry Christmas.

Thank you.

God bless you all, and God bless Meru.

Governor Kiraitu Murungi