Mathira legislator Eric Wamumbi has petitioned the government to set aside funds for the completion of stalled projects in the constituency.
Speaking Tuesday during the funeral ceremony of Jack Reriani held in Hiriga, Mathira West sub county, Wamumbi alleged that funds that had been set aside for many of the projects in the area were later withdrawn and diverted to other areas under unexplained circumstances.
Reriani was the eldest brother to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
According to Wamumbi, millions of shillings that had been allocated for connecting water for irrigation and construction of access roads in the area immediately vanished after Gachagua (then area MP) was picked by President Dr William Ruto as his running mate in the run up to the August 9 polls.
“We thank our President Dr William Ruto for coming to the rescue of our farmers by providing them with subsidized fertilizers. Unfortunately, even with the cheaper farm inputs, our people may still not realize their full potential in farming since we do not have a reliable water supply system in this area after money which was set aside for the initial water connectivity suddenly disappeared after our former MP Rigathi Gachagua decided to rally behind President Dr William Ruto,” claimed the MP during the event which was also attended by President Ruto.
“We therefore wish to appeal for your intervention in having all these stalled projects including our roads completed to ensure our people get access to quality services just as Gachagua had envisioned,” he added.
The claim was supported by Kikuyu MP and former Budget and Appropriations Committee chair Mr Kimani Ichung’wa who confirmed that money had been set aside for the said projects before it was reallocated to other functions.
He therefore called for the additional funds to be set aside to ensure the stalled projects are completed.
Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot who spoke on behalf of the Senate promised to ensure all the bills that will be generated in the House are geared towards improving the lives of all Kenyans regardless of their political leaning.
The lawmaker said Kenyans are going through very difficult times and the best the elected leaders can do is to fulfil the promises they made to them prior to the election.
Cheruiyot said it would be the height of grand betrayal for leaders to divert from their core mandate of serving the electorate in pursuit of other gains their urgency notwithstanding.
“I want to give our assurance that all the promises we made to Kenyans during the campaign period as Members of Parliament we will pass laws that transform the lives of Kenya and our people. We shall ensure that the laws that we pass are not for the benefit of a single individual but for the benefit of the welfare of all Kenyans,” said Cheruiyot.
At one time the lawmaker created a light moment after he claimed that a section of the media has been making news out of Gachagua for all the wrong reasons since they are still in denial that he is the current second in command.
The late Reriani succumbed to diabetic coma on September 24 as he was being rushed to the Karatina Jamii Hospital for treatment after falling ill. His remains were interred at his Hiriga home in a ceremony attended by mourners in their hundreds.
He has left behind a widow Cecilia Wambui and three children, Stephen Gachagua, Kevin Kimani and Emma Alice Njeri.
