BY REBECCA WANGARI
Senior government officials from Murang’a have embarked on a series of public participation forums to engage residents on development projects and government programmes being implemented in the county.
The officials, led by Deputy Head of Public Service Amos Gathecha, Principal Secretary for Sports Elijah Mwangi and his Blue Economy counterpart Betsy Njagi, said the engagements were not politically motivated but part of their responsibility as civil servants to keep citizens informed.
Gathecha said the team was visiting the region to outline government development projects amid claims that the Kenya Kwanza administration had done little to improve the lives of Kenyans.
Speaking during a public forum in Kahuro, Gathecha said the government had made significant progress in development and service delivery and that members of the public deserved to be informed about the projects being implemented.
“We are not politicians looking for votes. We are engaging the residents to make them know what projects are being done by the government,” he said.
“This is not a political strategy. We are just doing our work to popularise what has been achieved so far and what more the people should expect,” he added.
Gathecha said the public participation forums were also intended to give residents an opportunity to understand government programmes and their expected impact on communities.
On his part, Mwangi said there was still considerable time before the next election campaigns and urged leaders to focus on delivering development projects rather than engaging in premature politics.
He said the government had invested significant effort in fulfilling promises made to Kenyans during the 2022 campaigns, with progress being witnessed across various sectors.
“There is a lot of infrastructural work being done across the country, farmers are getting subsidised inputs, youths are getting job opportunities and this is part of what the government promised to do,” said Mwangi.
“For now, it’s time to work and deliver. Time for politics will come and the people will decide the leaders to vote in,” he added.
Mwangi said government officials should concentrate on ensuring ongoing projects are completed and that Kenyans receive the services they were promised.
His sentiments were echoed by Njagi, who said the government had continued to pursue equitable development across the country and ensure that no region was left behind.
Njagi said the development projects being implemented by the government had helped improve the livelihoods of citizens, which she described as one of the administration’s key objectives.
“A lot has been achieved, more is coming and that’s why we are out to tell the members of the public the achievements gained so far,” she said.
Njagi cited the affordable housing programme as one of the government initiatives that had created employment opportunities for thousands of young people while also providing families with access to decent housing.
“If you look at projects like affordable housing, it has created job opportunities for thousands of youths in their respective areas and people are getting decent houses to live in,” she said.
The officials said they would continue engaging residents to provide information on government projects and gather feedback on the implementation of various programmes.
