Deputy President William Ruto has said from September all MPs and MCAs will be required to mobilize youths to enable the government to equip them with skills to fully participate meaningfully in the development of the nation. He said from September all the youths who’ll be joining colleges will receive a bursary of Kshs 30,000 per student to cushion parents from the heavy college fees. He added that every student joining college will be eligible to receive a loan from the government ensuring not only fees is catered for, but also money for any extra use.
Speaking in Kimilili, in Bungoma County on Saturday, DP Ruto said no youth will have reason and excuse for missing college education due to lack of money, noting that the development will avail skilled people to the nation’s fabric that will help push forward the Big Four Agenda.
The Deputy President said that the development process started in Bungoma County are still prioritized. “We have development projects we started, including renovation of roads covering nearly 150 km,” he said, adding that area MP Didmus Barasa had brought to his attention the condition of the road from Maeni to Kapsokwony, “We shall renovate that road and even tarmac it,” said Ruto. He added that the road from Kapswokony, Kopsiro, Chesikaki, Cheptais to Chepkube will be constructed, same to the road connecting Lwakhakha through Sirisia, Namwela, Chwele.
DP Ruto said the electrification programme is also still in full swing, with 25,000 more households targeted in Bungoma County within a year and a half, “Only 25,000 homes had electricity but now we’ve added more 25,000 houses in Bungoma County and we intend to connect 25,000 more homes to electricity within the next year and a half,” he said. He reveled that the national government has set aside Kshs 1 billion to cater for the electrification process, which has the second and third stage in the offing.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa weighed in on the contraband sugar report, saying the MPs had failed in their mandate by shooting down a credible sugar report. “The national assembly has now lost direction and people are being bribed and they discarded a good report,” he said. He called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to form a special committee to probe the contraband sugar issue.