Below find my speech delivered during Safaricom Staff Pension Scheme Project ground

breaking ceremony in Mavoko, Machakos County.

SPEECH BY H.E GOVERNOR OF MACHAKOS DR. ALFRED MUTUA DURING THE

GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY OF CRYSTAL RIVERS PROJECT IN MAVOKO
MACHAKOS COUNTY.

In the desert of Nevada in the United States, sits a famous city called Las Vegas. The city is in an
inhospitable area, with shrubs for trees and hot, uncomfortable weather. If anyone was to conduct
a feasibility study on whether to develop a city where Las Vegas sits, the report would say, do not
even think about it. However, Las Vegas is where it is and what it is because some people
decided that from the desert can rise greatness.
The Americans have a slogan that I abide to that says "Build it and they will come."
Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore
Safaricom Staff Pension Scheme Chairman, Les Baillie
Retirement Benefits Authority CEO Dr. Edward Odundo
Safaricom staff, developers and distinguished guests
I salute you all and welcome you to Machakos County, the Place to be.
What we are witnessing here today is an exciting venture not only in Real Estate but in
innovation and economic empowerment.
The development you are bringing to Machakos County through the Crystal Rivers project is one
that we have decided to fully embrace. We appreciate your confidence in our County as a
suitable investment destination; proof that our efforts towards positioning Machakos as a great
place to live, play and do business are bearing fruit.
Being the first venture of its kind here we can only envisage the kind of development it will
bring to Athi River and its environs. We foresee an increase in commercial activities that promise
to create more employment opportunities, improve the County economy and open up the area to
more investment, as investors seek to take advantage of the Countys proximity to Nairobi City
and JKIA.

We also expect the real estate project to attract home owners seeking the serenity of living
outside the City while at the same time enjoying the benefits of being close enough to it to
commute to work every day. As I have always said, we are positioning Machakos as the bedroom
or better still, the dormitory of Nairobi. We need to have green areas and recreational facilities
within developments.

My Government is keen to support such investments and I want to assure you that I have
extensive plans on infrastructure development to enable you to fully enjoy the benefits of your
venture.
For example, we are tarmacking roads in Syokimau and Athi River and especially in our
neighborhoods. We are installing street lights, mulika mwizi flood lights and CCTV cameras so
as to make the areas secure. We already have an ambulance for every location in Machakos
county and we are transforming our health facilities to be the best in the region.
We are implementing an ambitious water project that will see available and clean piped water in
every household.
What we are doing in Machakos is what should have been done hundreds of years ago. We are
moving fast in a systematic and efficient manner so that our people can be rescued from decrepit
living conditions and poverty. This is the ideology behind our Maendeleo Chap Chap manifesto
as captured in our Machakos vision 2020.
I am however, frustrated by what I see as lethargy of our leaders to dream big and execute
programs that make us pioneers. Humans walked on the moon on July, 1969, due to a culture of
galvanizing talents, recognizing expertise and pulling together to achieve a common goal. In the
meantime, 45 years later today in Kenya, we are rejecting a qualified profession from public
office because of reasons that ordinary Kenyans cannot fathom.
We respect and recognize Parliament as an important house in our political dispensation.
However, in this case of Dr. Monica Juma, our honourable members have gone against the grain
of our new constitution and the wishes of the people of Kenya. Kenyans want to see fairness. We
all want to know that we have men and women of integrity in our Judiciary, Parliament and
Government offices who are fair and that the right things are done, not just for one individual but
for the common good. Dr. Monica Juma has been unfairly treated and this needs to be corrected.
We need to have a society where sideshows do not prevail at the expense of justice and fairness.
That is the only way we are going to build a prosperous nation.
Somewhere in the desert of Nevada in the USA are graves of pioneers of the city of Las Vegas,
who dreamt, but more important who acted, and today Las Vegas makes over 45 billion U.S.

Dollars per year (That is Kshs. 3.8 trillion more than our national budget.) We have no excuse in
Machakos and in extension in Kenya to curtail our dreams.
Build it and they will come.

Machakos the place to be.

God bless you.

JUNE 13, 2015