List Of Projects Uhuru Set To Launch In Final Days of Office

President Uhuru Kenyatta has a busy week ahead of him as he is expected to launch a series of projects across the country so that he leaves behind a memorable legacy as he prepares to exit office after 10 years in power.

On Sunday, July 31, the President launched two road projects in Nairobi at once; the Ksh87.9 billion Nairobi Expressway after public trials and the revamped Nairobi Eastern Bypass which includes five new major vehicular crossings and six-lane dual carriageways at the busy sections of the road.

He expressed optimism that the expressway and the bypass road will significantly address the nightmare of traffic gridlocks in Nairobi estimated to cost the nation over Ksh5 billion annually in lost productivity time and wasted fuel.

The officially-commissioned Nairobi Expressway. /PSCU

“Since we opened the road for public trials in April, it now takes between 15 and 24 minutes to drive from Mlolongo in Machakos County to Rironi in Kiambu County. Before the expressway, that journey would take at least three hours which is the equivalent of flying to Addis Ababa and back,” President Kenyatta said.

Media reports have revealed that President Uhuru will tour his Mt Kenya grounds as well as Vihiga, Coast and Nyanza regions while campaigning for Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, as the elections week closes in.

It will be especially his tour of the Coast and Western regions that he is expected to reinforce the former Prime Minister's candidacy and urge voters to come out in numbers to exercise their rights as stipulated in the Constitution.

A report by the Nation revealed that he is expected to visit over 12 projects in his final days before he leaves office in the week beginning Monday, August 8.

They include the renovated Kisumu shipyard and the MV Uhuru 2 Wagon ferry when he tours Kisumu this week.

Also on his diary of projects include Ksh27 billion Mau Mau Road, which will pass through four counties; Murang’a, Nyeri, Kiambu and Nyandarua, in the Central region.

The president has been racing to commission a number of projects recently while rallying supporters to vote for Raila.

On the same Sunday, he took the time to respond to Deputy President William Ruto's wild claims that the Head of State was planning to assassinate his political rivals ahead of the August 9 general elections.

"You have insulted me for close three years, has anyone touched you? I was in office for those three years and did I not have the capability? Now that I want to hand over the government and I have limited powers, do you think I have time to look for you?

"Everyone, including myself, has the right to campaign for whoever they want. There is no reason for insults and If I answer you because you have lied. There is no reason to tell people I want to kill you," he noted.

For Ruto and Raila, this coming week forms the most crucial one for them before the official campaign window closes on Saturday, August 6, which is two days before the August 9 elections.

Raila will begin his week in Kiambu, before heading to Kisii on Tuesday and to Kakamega on Wednesday. For Ruto, he will start at Uasin Gishu before taking over the Mt Kenya region.

President Uhuru Kenyatta chats with ODM party leader Raila Odinga during the National Anti-Corruption Conference at Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi on January 25, 2019. /NAIROBI NEWS