Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua continues receiving criticizm a few hours after he launched Sh50 million worth roofing project to eliminate grass thatched houses in the county on Wednesday.
A spot check conducted by this writer revieled that 70 percent of the residents are dissatisfied with the project terming it as a loophole to siphon public funds.
Some of the residents claim there are more pressing issues than giving people fish instead of teaching them on how to fish.
"Grass thatched roofing is a show of poverty and by changing the roofing you don't change the people's way of living, they will still remain poor unless ways of driving them out of poverty are adopted then the project is a total waste," Said Steve Kimeu an entrepreneur in Machakos.
The residents accused Governor Alfred Mutua of failing to iimplement projects proposed by residents at public participation forums.
"As a Machakos resident and youth leader, my considered view which is largely a reflection of the feeling on the ground is that Mutua's administration is taking residents for a ride. There is no government worldwide that provides private goods ( clothing, shelter etc). Governments have duties to provide public goods (roads, water, improve markets," said Shah Kioko, a youth from Kangundo.
He said there are many houses in Machakos county with dilapidated iron sheets while others are grass-thatched hence it wouldn't be practical for the governor to provide all the homes with iron sheets.
He said instead, the governor should have embarked on completing stalled projects just like many residents proposed in public participation forums.
The residents now think the project is a scam like the 'showers' in 2015 that didn't last a day after it's launch.
Mutua launched the programme at Vyulya in Mwala Sub County where he said he is on a mission to eliminate colonial era way of housing.