Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has asked President Ruto to move fast in the construction of the Naivasha Industrial Park after he reverted port operations to Mombasa.
Speaking on Tuesday September 20 in Nakuru City, stated that she will respect the choice taken by President Ruto as it was in the interest of serving the people of Mombasa.
Nonetheless, she desired that the status quo was maintained, adding that the Naivasha Inland Port would have been part of her transformative program.
“Obviously we would have wanted for things to stay as they were but given that he was given an overwhelming mandate to be the president of the Republic of Kenya, in as much as I am asking him for support on my agenda, let him do what is best for our country,” she noted.
“However. I have spoken with the president on that issue and he promised that he will give us the necessary help to ensure that our dream of having a functional economic zone is realised,” she added.
Ruto had pledged during his campaign to restore clearing and forwarding services to the Port of Mombasa in response to residents’ complaints about the lack of employment opportunities in the county.
The President clarified that the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) was to build an industrial city in Naivasha and to use the region’s resources.
“We were supposed to do an industrial city so that the SGR would not only bring raw materials but would also take out finished products. It did not end up in Naivasha for no reason, we wanted to tap into the geothermal resources in Naivasha,” Ruto stated in June 2022.
