By:Faith Mukundi
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has stepped up his public engagements across Kiambu County, using a meeting in Limuru to highlight the government’s development agenda while calling for unity, peaceful politics and greater support for programmes targeting farmers and local communities.
Kindiki spoke to residents after flagging off milk coolers destined for dairy farmers’ cooperatives across Kiambu, placing agriculture at the centre of his message as the government seeks to strengthen production, improve farmers’ incomes and create more economic opportunities in rural areas.
The Deputy President said agriculture remains one of the most important sectors in Kenya’s economic transformation, linking increased agricultural productivity to the government’s wider plans to industrialise the country, create employment and raise household incomes.
“Agriculture is the backbone of our economy, a key determinant of Kenya’s success in its quest to industrialize, create jobs and provide more income opportunities for the people,” Kindiki said.
The distribution of milk coolers is part of government efforts to improve the handling and marketing of milk by cooperatives, with better storage expected to help farmers reduce losses and strengthen their bargaining position within the dairy value chain.
Kiambu is among Kenya’s major dairy-producing areas, and the government has increasingly focused on interventions aimed at improving access to markets, strengthening cooperatives and supporting farmers with infrastructure and equipment.
Kindiki used the Limuru engagement to argue that development programmes should remain at the centre of conversations with residents, particularly as political activity begins to intensify ahead of the 2027 General Election.
His appearance in Limuru is part of a broader series of public engagements in the Mt Kenya region, where the Deputy President has increasingly combined messages on government development projects with appeals for political unity and stability.
Kindiki urged residents to reject political violence and political mobilisation that could divide communities, arguing that disagreements over leadership should not interfere with development or threaten peaceful coexistence.
He said political competition should be conducted peacefully and within the law, maintaining that communities stand to lose when political differences result in violence or disrupt economic activities.
The Deputy President’s message comes at a time when political leaders are increasingly positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections, with Mt Kenya emerging as an important political battleground.
Rather than focusing exclusively on politics, Kindiki has continued to place government projects, agriculture, infrastructure and service delivery at the centre of his public engagements in the region.
He also renewed the government’s warning against the manufacture and sale of illicit and harmful alcoholic drinks, saying the fight was necessary to protect families, young people and communities from substances that could have serious health and social consequences.
Kindiki maintained that the government would distinguish between legitimate alcoholic beverages produced within the law and illicit products manufactured or distributed outside regulatory requirements.
The government has intensified multi-agency operations against illicit alcohol and suspected poisonous substances, particularly in parts of Central Kenya where authorities have linked the trade to deaths, health complications and social problems.
Kindiki’s Limuru meeting was attended by several Kiambu leaders, including Woman Representative Anne Wamuratha, Limuru MP Chege Kiragu, Kiambaa MP Njuguna Kawanjiku, Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a and Lari MP Mburu Kahangara.