Arise Media 
President William Ruto’s Wednesday development tour of Embu County has sparked speculation among political pundits after the conspicuous omission of the Manyatta constituency from his itinerary.
The move has been interpreted by local pundits, as a possible expression of dissatisfaction with Manyatta MP’s “NO” vote on the Finance Bill 2024.
According to a schedule shared by local Members of Parliament, President Ruto is set to visit the constituencies of Runyenjes, Mbeere North, and Mbeere South.
All these constituencies supported the Finance Bill, in stark contrast to Manyatta, where MP Gitonga Mukunji was the only representative from Embu County to oppose the bill.
Local political pundits suggest that excluding Manyatta from the president’s itinerary is a strategic message reinforcing support for his legislative agenda.
However, Mukunji dismissed the claims, noting that the president has visited the constituency more than four times.
While inspecting the construction of the Embu Modern Market in Embu town, Mukunji criticized individuals attempting to politicize the president’s tour.
“There is no way the president can run away from an area where he has initiated projects. Dismiss the rumors, he has been here several times,” Mukunji asserted.
Even as the president launches the projects, political leaders are divided as they scramble to take credit for who lobbied for them.
One of the projects that has generated divisions over who lobbied for it, is the Embu Modern Market located in Manyatta Constituency with leaders scrambling to take credit for the mega project.
The new market, designed to accommodate approximately 2,000 traders, will include modern amenities such as elevators, lactation rooms, and daycare facilities.
Governor Cecily Mbarire, Chair of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, has claimed credit for securing resources for the market from the national government.
However, MP Mukunji emphasized that the Embu Modern Market is a national initiative, urging leaders to avoid politicizing national projects.
The announcement of the Embu Modern Market’s construction has been a focal point of contention among political leaders, with a scramble for credit over who lobbied for the project.
On July 31, 2024, the County Executive Committee (CEC) members for Trade and Lands, Francis Ndwiga and Raymond Kinyua, led a team from the Governor’s office at the construction site to announce the start of work.
Just days later, on August 4, 2024, MP Mukunji also visited the site to declare the commencement of the market construction, emphasizing that it is a national project.
Governor Mbarire has previously been instrumental in advocating for Embu as the host for the 2023 Madaraka Day celebrations, prompting the national government to refurbish Moi Stadium and undertake other infrastructural improvements in Embu town.
Construction of ultramodern Embu market underway PHOTO | RITA MUTHONI
Among the promises made was the construction of an ultramodern sports complex at the ASK Njukiri grounds, a project highly anticipated by Embu residents.
The government initially planned to host the 2023 Madaraka Day celebrations at the proposed Njukiri facility but later shifted to Moi Stadium due to unspecified technicalities.
Despite this, the commitment to the sports complex at Njukiri remains.
The contractor, Pinnie Agency Limited, pledged to complete the works within the given timeline and offer jobs to the locals.
The market is among six others done across the county creating a conducive working environment for thousands of traders.
This is in addition to the proposed industrial park cum aggregation center to be put up at Machang’a Agricultural Mechanization (AMS) center in Mbeere South Sub-county at Sh500 million in a joint partnership between the national and the County government.
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