Questions are now being raised over President William Ruto’s development promises in Kiambu, with Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba saying that many of his past commitments have not gone beyond the launch stage.
She argued that Kenyans should not be misled by figures and flashy events when the reality on the ground shows incomplete projects that were once announced with much fanfare.
Ruto has promised to deliver major projects in Kiambu County, including 30 modern markets costing Ksh.4.5 billion and 15,000 housing units valued at Ksh.30 billion.
While these figures sound impressive, Wamuchomba told Citizen TV’s Daybreak programme that she has seen such pledges before and does not expect them to be different this time.
“The President is very popular, vocal, and experienced when it comes to committing himself to figures, which eventually do not come to fulfilment.
When I see him say that he’s going to do 15,000 new units in Kiambu County and in a month or so, I laugh because he has done that in the past, and he has come to launch projects that are stalled now,” she said.
To back her point, the MP highlighted a market in her Githunguri constituency that Ruto personally launched. According to her, the project was abandoned immediately after the launch.
“The last time he appeared in my constituency in Githunguri, he came with a lot of force and launched a market. The day he left, the contractor left, and to date, the foundation stone that he laid is still there. Not an inch moved,” she explained.
Wamuchomba added that before the government embarks on new projects like the proposed housing units, it should first complete stalled developments, including markets, roads, and an aggregation centre.
“If he cannot deliver a market, for heaven’s sake, how do you want me to believe him that he is going to do 15,000 housing units?
Finish the aggregation centre, the stalled markets and roads, and then come back with new promises,” she argued.
She also raised concern about how policy matters are being handled, criticising the use of State House forums where Members of Parliament are directed by the President on issues that should instead be debated on the floor of the House.
“Members of Parliament sit there and all they do is take instructions from the President inside State House on matters that are supposed to be debated and handled on the floor of the House,” she said.
This criticism of Ruto’s leadership style has been echoed by other politicians, including his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, who was impeached in October after falling out with the President.
In an interview with Citizen TV on August 26, Gachagua claimed that Ruto “has no moral authority to talk about corruption in Parliament” because he “is the one who has corrupted it.”
He went further to allege that “Ruto pays Parliament for everything he wants to happen,” accusing him of using money to push unpopular proposals and punish those who oppose him.
With such accusations and stalled projects highlighted, the promises of new developments in Kiambu County face growing scepticism.
For many residents and leaders, the priority now is for the government to prove it can finish what it started before moving on to fresh announcements.
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