Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has invited leaders who lost in the last general elections in Kirinyaga to join her in rolling out development activities in the county.
Speaking during her swearing-in ceremony held on Thursday at Kamiigua Youth Polytechnic, Waiguru noted that the campaign period was over and all leaders should shelve their differences, and come together in order to move the county forward.
“To my worthy competitors, I extend a hand of friendship and invite you, unconditionally, to come and join hands with us in our common agenda of promoting peace and moving Kirinyaga forward in the next five years. The election period is now behind us and we now rise above politics and do what is best for our people.” She said.
She said that she doesn’t hold grudges with anybody and it’s time to move away from politics and unite as the people of Kirinyaga adding that there’s a lot that needs to be delivered to the residents.
“We have now entered Wira Warie (let the work speak for itself) Season Two. A season that God has given us to complete the transformational journey that we began five years ago. A journey along which we have realized great milestones towards our Kirinyaga Rising vision of a county enjoying productivity through the maximum realization of its potential for sustained economic, social and political development,” she said.
The swearing-in ceremony was presided over by High Court Judge Lady Justice Hedwig Ong’udi and attended by Council of Governors Chief Executive Officer, Mary Mwiti, Swedish Ambassador Caroline Vicini, among hundreds of other guests, and multitudes of Kirinyaga residents.
Governor Waiguru, now commencing her second term in office, thanked Kirinyaga residents for voting her back, terming her re-election a vote of confidence in her leadership, promising them that they will not regret their choice. She also thanked her campaign team, her family, and religious leaders for the support they offered her during the electioneering period.
She noted that her previous administration had achieved many milestones in the various development sectors and said that her immediate duty will be to form a robust cabinet that will assist her in ensuring seamless service delivery which includes completion of the ongoing projects as well as the implementation of new ones.
The Deputy Governor, David Githanda, pledged to fully support the governor to deliver her mandate.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Governors, Mary Mwiti, congratulated Waiguru for having been re-elected and being the only seven governors elected in the current regime. She noted that Waiguru’s election was a culmination of her determination, courage, and vision and is historic since she is also one of the few governors who have been re-elected.
She thanked the people of Kirinyaga for having given the baton to a formidable woman leader at the same time noting that Kenya’s democracy has greatly grown and warming up to women leadership.
She said that the COG is waiting in bated breath to usher in the largest number of female governors so far. She pledged the support of COG to the governors in the fight against drawbacks such as delayed funds to counties among others.
She called upon the elected governors to continue using their skills and competencies to champion the course of county governments and safeguard the gains made over the years.
The Swedish Ambassador to Kenya, Caroline Vicini said that she chose to grace the Kirinyaga swearing-in ceremony since it was a great example of a growing democracy that has embraced women’s leadership.
The envoy said that the county had set a great example by rewarding the good work that the governor had done and re-electing her. She said that the Swedish government is very active in promoting democracy and electing a woman was a demonstration of a growing democracy.
