First Lady Margaret Kenyatta addressing the elderly in Isiolo County. [Photo/PSCU]
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on Tuesday put up the strongest pitch yet for the re-election of the Jubilee Government, saying the August General Election is about continuity and moving the country forward.
She said the upward trajectory of development that the country is currently experiencing can only be strengthened if Kenyans vote for President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee Government.
“This election is about going forward not backwards,” said the First Lady who asked Kenyans to support a party whose government has a proven track record. She also delivered greetings and a goodwill message from President Kenyatta.
She spoke in Isiolo Town where she addressed thousands of jubilant women (from Isiolo and Meru Counties) during a meeting convened by the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO).
Her message resonated well with the women from the county and top MYWO officials all of whom pledged to support the re-election of President Kenyatta.
Speaker after speaker said Jubilee was the most prominent party in Isiolo and the women vowed to mobilise local residents to vote for President Kenyatta.
The First Lady enumerated the many socio-economic and development programmes implemented by the Jubilee Administration, promising that the government will initiate more projects once re-elected.
“This will not change when you elect President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee Government back on 8th August. I too will continue to deliver my long standing commitment to mothers and children of Kenya,” said the First Lady.
“In 21 days we shall have an election. In this election Jubilee has committed to finish the work it started four years ago,” she said.
She said no other party can match the (Jubilee) Government’s rural electrification program that has connected over 90 per cent of schools in the country; for building roads that connect Kenyans to markets and for providing free maternity for mothers so that they give birth in safe health centres.
The other socio-economic and health programs initiated by the government include a Cash Transfer Program for the elderly, the Inua Jamii Safety Net Program and free medical services through the National Health Insurance Fund.
The First Lady said the Jubilee Government was committed to a simple vision based on equality of all Kenyans so that no individual or part of the country is left behind.
She said the Jubilee Government is also committed to the welfare of women and girls so that mothers in Isiolo get the same services as their counterparts elsewhere in the country and all children from across the country have access to the same education “and dreams as the other children from all over Kenya.”
“When he took on the job as President 4 years ago, he knew what was required of him from the people who elected him – and he continues to work for them,” she said.
She however said a lot more needs to be done despite the progress the country has achieved in the last four years.
“Despite the progress we have made in the past, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that the persistent inequalities that continue to exist will be a thing of the past”, she added.
The First Lady said she was greatly inspired by the seriousness of the women leaders, women groups and the entire community from the county for embracing development.
Other speakers who talked strongly about supporting President Kenyatta’s re-election included County First Lady Madina Doyo, MYWO National Chairperson Rahab Mwikali, Secretary General Elizabeth Mayieka, County Chairlady Asli Ahamed Halake and former Women Enterprise Fund Chairlady Mumina Galgal.
The latter talked of huge economic benefits women had achieved under the Jubilee Government and where the uptake of loans by women had shot up sharply.
Earlier, the First Lady visited elderly citizens gathered at the Isiolo Agricultural Training Centre where she distributed foodstuff, cooking oil, shoes and blankets.
The beneficiaries- all above 70 years – are among the 5,600 senior citizens registered under the Cash Transfer Program in the County.
The elderly citizens, through 73-year old Paul Lotiman, said they had not seen any other caring Administration like the Jubilee Government and prayed for President Kenyatta’s re-election so that the First Lady can continue with her work of caring for vulnerable Kenyans.
The First Lady also visited the Child Welfare of Kenya Society (Home) in Isiolo where she interacted with over 200 abandoned and rescued children where again she distributed foodstuff and shoes.
At the Children’s Home, the First Lady cuddled some babies and showered them with motherly love besides fitting others with shoes donated by Ahadi Kenya under the leadership of Stanley Kamau who attended the three functions