Nyanza Regional Commissioner Mathew Mutindika has decried the rising political temperatures in the country ahead of the general elections in 2022.
Addressing the press during a media breakfast held in a Kisii hotel ahead of the Mashujaa day celebrations Tuesday, Mutindika said the government was however prepared to deal with any form of violence during the electioneering season.
Mutindika said national event will be carried out in observance of the laid down Ministry of Health Covid-19 containment protocols in an effort to enable economic growth as guided by this year’s Mashujaa Day theme,“Nchi Yangu Wajibu Wangu, Mimi ni Shujaa (My Country, My Duty, I am a Hero)”.
He appealed to Kenyans to guard against political violence as per the vision of those that struggled for independence, considering that Nyanza was among the regions that usually experience violence during electioneering period.
“This was the dream of our forefathers who gave their lives to gain us freedom from our brutal colonizers, let us live the dream,” appealed Mutindika.
The RC gave a stern warning to stock theft perpetrators along the Kisumu/Nandi, Kisumu/Kericho and Migori/Narok borders saying the Government was resolved to recover all illegal firearms that are usually used in such criminal activities.
He said the Government was also continuously monitoring illegal brew smuggling from the neighboring countries to address the menace.
He underscored the region’s economic foundation which is fishing and crop farming with Kisumu city, the regional administrative and economic headquarters, hosting large scale businesses as well as small and medium industries.
Mutindika welcomed guests to the region and especially Kisii County saying it enjoys favorable climatic conditions that favour agriculture, a sector that employs over 80 percent of the county’s population.
The agricultural sector in the area is mainly practiced in small scale with matoke, the staple food alongside millet and ugali served with Chinsaga (spider plant) and Managu being the major delicacy.
He said Arabica coffee also grown in Kisii County is among the best in the world and is mainly blended with other coffee varieties from the rest of the world owing to its attractive scent and a lingering taste.
Mutindika also cited Tea as a key cash crop grown in Kisii which has offered many job opportunities to the locals and even those from beyond and enlisted Kisii soapstone which is also known as the white gold that is mined at Tabaka area since the 1800s as one of the economic activities whose carvings are sold both locally and internationally.
During the event, Government spokesperson Col (rtd)Cyus Oguna appealed to Kisii residents to adhere to the MOH protocols for combating the spread of corona virus.
Oguna also appealed to all learners enlisted in the Kazi Mtaani program to go back to school when institutions open saying the program was short term to cushion youth against economic adverse effects of the global pandemic.
By Jane Naitore
