President William Ruto said Saturday no part of Kenya will be left behind in national transformation because of the choice made in the last elections.

The President said the country belongs to all Kenyans and they would benefit equitably from the programmes and policies the government is implementing.

Speaking at Eastern Kenya Integrated College in Mitaboni, Machakos County, on Saturday, he said no part of the country will be left behind.

He said even though some leaders in Ukambani had initially pointed out that they were not interested in housing and fresh produce markets, the government is nevertheless rolling out the programmes in the towns and villages of Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties.

“I met religious leaders from this region and they convinced the few political leaders that the path they had taken over development was the wrong one,” he said.

The President explained that the national transformation underway in all parts of Kenya is also happening in the three counties, and cited Sh45 billion that has been set aside for the construction of affordable housing, fresh produce markets and student hostels.

The President said a further Sh5.5 billion has been allocated for roads in the region, and another Sh5.5 billion for electricity connection.

“It is not right or fair for any part to remain behind. We are one nation, one people with a common destiny,” he said.

Ruto further said irrigation is the “next frontier” in agricultural transformation, adding that Machakos, Makueni and Kitui would immensely benefit to turn the region’s arable land to full production and productivity.

Thwake Dam, which is in the final stages of completion, would be a game changer in the agricultural revolution that would be enabled by irrigation.

“The next frontier for agricultural transformation is irrigation and Ukambani has huge potential,” he noted.

He explained that the government’s housing and health programmes, among other initiatives, will take Kenya to the next level of development.

On education, Ruto enumerated the strides that have been made in the past three years, saying the government has invested heavily in the sector because “education is an equaliser”.

“I can proudly tell you that we have heavily invested in the Competency-Based Education and Training, technical and higher education. We will ensure we fund education adequately because our young people are Kenya’s greatest asset,” he added.

Eastern Integrated College has applied for a Letter of Interim Authority and charter to offer degree courses, and the Ministry of Education has outlined the process they need to follow.

On other development programmes in the region, Ruto Sh800 million has been invested in the ongoing construction of Kitui Stadium, the venue of this year’s Mashujaa Day on October 20.

Additionally, roads in and around Kitui town are also being built, among other roads in region.

Leaders present at the function were Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and MPs Tabitha Mutinda (Nominated Senator), Caleb Mule (Machakos Town), Joshua Mwalyo (Masinga) and Fabian Muli (Kangundo).

Others were former Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama, MCAs and other county leaders.

Mutua urged the region to rally behind the government, saying the President had chosen to make difficult decisions that have consequently benefited the country in a stable economy [20/09, 22:14] Cyrus Ombati Star: South Africa police uncover $20m crystal meth lab South African police dismantled a crystal methamphetamine laboratory, with drugs worth $20m (£15m), discovered on a farm in the east of the country.

Five people “from a North American country” have been arrested, while two others “believed to be from West African countries” fled the scene, a statement said.

Police photographs show industrial manufacturing equipment along with weighing scales and lunch boxes filled with the illegal drug.

In a 2022 Global State of Harm Reduction report, South Africa was described as one of the largest crystal meth consumer markets in the world. Its geography and “porous borders” make it an ideal transit point for illicit drugs, the UN says.

In Friday’s raid on the farm in Volksrust, 225km (140 miles) south-west of Johannesburg, the police also seized a pellet gun loaded with blanks.

The farm caretaker, who has also been arrested, was found with three live rounds.

The police had been acting on a tip-off with the informant reporting “a strange chemical smell emanating from the premises [of the farm], which raised suspicions of illicit drug manufacturing”. “We applaud the community members who continue to work with police and provide valuable tip-offs.

Intelligence-driven operations are ongoing, and we, as police, will stop at nothing in our quest to collapse the illicit drug trade,” Mpumalanga acting commissioner Maj-Gen Zeph Mkhwanazi said.

Last year, a similar discovery on a remote farmin another part of the country led to the arrest of two Mexicans and two South Africans.