TAITA TAVETA— President William Ruto has announced a further reduction in the prices of subsidised fertilizer and maize seeds in a bid to ease the burden on farmers as they prepare for the upcoming October rainfall season.
Speaking during a Sunday service at the African Inland Church (AIC) Makutano in Taveta Constituency, Taita-Taveta County, the President revealed that a 50kg bag of subsidised fertilizer will now retail at KSh2,000, down from KSh2,500. Additionally, the price of maize seeds will be slashed by 50 percent starting next month to encourage agricultural productivity across the country.
President Ruto noted that the failure of the May-August long rains in key agricultural regions, including the North Rift, resulted in widespread crop failure. The new subsidy measures are intended to cushion farmers against these losses and enable them to maximize the incoming rains.
Leaders present at the service included Taita-Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime, Senator Johnes Mwaruma, MPs John Bwire (Taveta), Peter Shake (Mwatate), and Lydia Haika (Woman Representative), along with former leaders John Mruttu and Joyce Lay.
Turning to the education sector, the Head of State announced that the Government has released KSh18 billion in third-term capitation funds. Dismissing claims that schools are struggling with debt due to unpaid allocations, President Ruto stated that funding has been disbursed consistently prior to the opening of school terms since January. He added that the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill currently before Parliament will ensure equal access to higher education, with state funding based on student qualification rather than financial background.
On regional land rights, President Ruto committed to addressing historical land ownership issues along the Coast. The National Government plans to issue 500,000 title deeds across the coastal belt in the coming months, including 45,000 titles reserved for Taita-Taveta residents.
The President confirmed he will return to the region in September to oversee the distribution of ownership documents from Taita-Taveta to Lamu once ongoing survey work concludes.
Infrastructure and housing projects in the area are also set to receive significant momentum. President Ruto highlighted a KSh17 billion allocation toward the Affordable Housing Programme in Taita-Taveta County, intended to generate jobs for local youth.
He further assured residents that key road developments including the 65km Ilasit-Rombo-Njukini-Taveta link, the 25km Cess-Rekeke-Lake Jipe road, the 55km Mto Mwagodi-Dawida-Mbale-Wundanyi-Bura Junction project, and the Voi-Sagala and Taveta-Eldoro corridors will be completed on schedule to boost transport and trade.
Addressing public health, the President commended Taita-Taveta leadership after 245,000 out of 340,000 local residents (73 percent) registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA), ranking the county eighth nationally in enrollment. He revealed that KSh950 million has been disbursed to local health facilities over the past 18 months for services rendered to residents.
President Ruto defended the SHA roll-out against political critics, while announcing plans to upgrade Taveta Hospital from Level 3 to Level 4 with modern equipment under the National Equipment Services Programme.
Concluding his address, President Ruto called on Kenyans to reject divisive tactics and ethnicity-based politics. He urged citizens to evaluate leaders based on their developmental track record and concrete contributions to the public rather than empty political rhetoric.
