President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday urged Mombasa residents to vote for him and his Jubilee team, saying his administration has delivered more development in four years than previous Governments.
Affirming his commitment to transform the lives of the residents of the Coastal County, President Kenyatta cited the Kshs 60 billion invested in roads, the expansion of the Port of Mombasa that has created more jobs for the youth and the Standard Gauge Railway as some of the projects that have changed the face of Mombasa.
“We have delivered all these projects and more because we are keen to ensure that no part of the country is left behind in development. We want equity among Kenyans,” President Kenyatta said as he rallied support for Jubilee.
The President – accompanied by Deputy President William Ruto and other Jubilee leaders from the Coast region – spoke on Wednesday when he addressed a mammoth campaign rally at the historic Tononoka grounds in Mombasa County.
He chided the opposition for trying to malign his delivery track record in the county, saying for all the years the NASA leaders served in senior positions in government they did not deliver even a quarter of what his administration has managed in just four-and-a-half years.
President Kenyatta said it was unfortunate for the opposition leaders to shamelessly spread lies that he intended to transfer the port of Mombasa to Naivasha.
“How can we transfer the port of Mombasa when we are investing billions of shillings to expand it so that it can handle more goods and create more jobs for the youth? If we wanted to transfer the port of Mombasa, would we construct three new berthswithin four years?” President Kenyatta posed.
He said apart from propaganda and falsehoods, the opposition had nothing to offer Kenyans.
The President said his administration is also focused on ensuring that residents of the Coast region reaped maximum benefit from the blue economy, citing the upgrading of Bandari College to provide quality training to seafarers and the construction ofShimoni fishing port which he launched in July.
President Kenyatta also took the opportunity to reach out to all Kenyans with a call for peace during the electioneering period, saying the Government will provide sufficient security to ensure Kenyans exercise their democratic right without any form of intimidation.
He particularly urged the youth to refuse to be used by politicians to engage in violence but vote in peace and go home to wait for the results.
Deputy President Ruto spoke on the Jubilee’s development agenda and roadmap that have seen projects implemented in the Coast region and across the country to lay the foundation that will ensure creation of 6.5 million jobs for the youth in the next five years.
Jubilee Party’s gubernatorial candidate for Mombasa, Suleiman Shahbal, pledged to transform the Coastal town into a marvel resort city in the East African region if residents voted for him in the August 8 polls.
Saying the current county leadership has failed to deliver, Mr Shahbal said his team will clean up the city and boost service delivery within the shortest time in office if he wins the August elections.
“Mombasa residents deserve better. We need to restore our city’s glory and I am sure with your support on August 8, we will achieve that,” Mr Shahbal said.
Earlier in the day, President Kenyatta and his deputy addressed rallies in Makueni and Kilifi Counties.
At Wote in Makueni County, the President met more than 1,100 religious leaders from across Ukambani who endorsed his re-election, saying they are satisfied with the work he has done for the people of the region.