By Peter Ochieng
President William Ruto has pleaded with Kenyans to keep working hard, adding that there is light at the tunnel.
Speaking during the 61st Madaraka Day celebrations at Masinde Muliro Stadium, Kanduyi in Bungoma County on Saturday, the President said with hard work coupled with the embrace of broader visions, all will be well, in the long run.
“My call similarly applies to Kenyans from all walks of life. Let us keep working hard, embrace broader visions and dream more ambitious dreams so that the tide of bottom-up economic transformation can sweep us all into our collective destiny of shared prosperity,” said the Head of State.
With Bungoma being an agricultural County, organizers strategically settled on Mazao Bora, Maisha Bora (Better produce, better life) as the theme for the celebrations.
Riding on that theme, the bulk of the President’s 16-page speech centered on the sector, highlighting measures being put in place by his Kenya kwanza administration to ensure food security.
“To enhance access to credit by farmers, in the next financial year, we are allocating Sh1 billion to the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) to provide affordable credit to farmers. Additionally, we are collaborating with Afriexim Bank to provide Sh15 billion to AFC to support increased lending to farmers. The Indian Exim Bank will also support AFC to enhance our agricultural mechanization agenda, providing farm inputs to farmers at low rates,” he said.
He said his administration’s advocacy of integration is part of the traditional commitment to regional cohesion and solidarity, aimed at expanding market access and linkages.
“I stand here, therefore, to urge our farmers and other agriculture sector entrepreneurs to work with renewed confidence, with the assurance that the fruit of their labour will meet demand in Kenya, East Africa, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the African Continental Free Trade Area,” he noted.
The sugar industry, the Presidente noted that is a highly strategic sub-sector, whose value chains have been the mainstay of the local economies of the sugar belt regions.
For this reason, he said they are firmly committed to ensuring that the sugar industry returns maximum value to all actors in its value chains, beginning with the initial and foundational entrepreneur, who is cane grower.
“We have written off Sh110 billion worth of sugar factories’ debts accumulated over 40 years. A new leasing model that will guarantee prompt payment for cane deliveries by farmers, timely wages for factory workers and bonuses to sugar cane farmers every end of the year, like other crops.”
On Friday, President Ruto opened the Bungoma Immigration office, aimed at facilitating passport and travel document issuance in the broader Western Kenya region.
The office, situated in Bungoma town, will primarily serve residents of Bungoma, Kakamega, Vihiga, and Trans Nzoia counties.