Ex-Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale's false and malicious claims that President Uhuru Kenyatta is giving Kiambu County special preference in the government's major projects allocation cannot go unchallenged. 

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Dr Khalwale, who was heavily defeated last year in his quest to become governor, falsely claimed that a water project meant for the residents of the capital, Nairobi, was set to benefit the head of state's backyard. 

"You (Jubilee) take Sh63 billion to Uhuru's backyard, you take nothing to Homa Bay, you take nothing to Kakamega & then you expect the people of Kakamega & Homa Bay to recognise this government?," he said while appearing on a popular morning TV show.   

What the former legislator, who appears keen to mislead the public, refuses to say is that although Kiambu is the only county that has produced two presidents in the history of the country, it largely remains behind in key development projects.  

Apart from high poverty levels in Kiambu, many parts of the county have poor roads and residents lack clean drinking water. 

In fact, during the run-up to last year's presidential election, then-candidate for Kiambu seat gubernatorial Ferdinand Waititu famously asked the voters not to elect President Kenyatta until he fixed the poor road network in the county. If you move to the other remote parts of the country, the situation is very different: much better roads. 

Recently, a Lari resident, Peter Njenga, summarised what Kiambu residents are thinking when he told the Standard: “Despite the country’s founding father and the current president having come from the county, it has always lagged behind in development.”

President Kenyatta's biggest development project so far, the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), does not pass through Kiambu or areas where he enjoys massive support. The mega project mainly benefits supporters of his main rival, Raila Odinga, who are located in Mombasa, Kisii, Kisumu Ukambani among other areas.

Dr Khalwale is simply hate-mongering and spreading misinformation. He should not be let to get away with such crimes.