Embu gets facelift as it prepares to host Madaraka Day fete

The government is ready to hold the Madaraka Day celebrations in Embu County on June 1.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the construction of the facilities to be used during the celebrations was nearing completion.

He said that only about four days of civil works were remaining and that structures at the Embu Stadium and the Regional Commissioner's residence would be ready by Sunday.

Mr Omollo, who led a high-powered team from the National Steering Committee on an inspection tour of the facilities on Tuesday evening, said the stadium has been upgraded to accommodate more than 8,000 people. 

He urged Embu residents and those from neighbouring counties to turn out in large numbers for the celebrations.

Mr Omollo said the event will be preceded by a business exhibition that will be opened by President William Ruto and closed by his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua.

Governor Cecily Mbarire also appealed to residents to show up for the festivities in large numbers.

She said the Embu people had a lot to celebrate following the selection of the county as the host of this year's national event.

She said besides the stadium upgrade, Embu had also benefitted from new roads.

She also added that the Maternal and Child Care Unit at the Embu Level V Hospital had also received a facelift.

The governor added that besides opening the trade exhibition, President Ruto will “take time to lay the foundation stone of the proposed four-storey Embu Market.”

It is the first time since independence the national event is taking place in the region and the residents interviewed by the Nation say they are looking forward to it.

All roads in Embu town have been upgraded to all-weather status and street lights installed.

The icing on the cake was the renovation of Embu Stadium,  where President Ruto will preside over the celebrations, for Sh450 million.

Four hundred street lights have been erected along the Embu -Meru highway to light up the town which used to be Eastern regional headquarters before the advent of the 2010 constitution.

According to Embu County Lands Executive Raymond Kinyua, the Stadium can accommodate 15,000 people.

Work at the stadium involves the building of a standard pitch, race tracks, terraces, recreation facilities, dressing rooms, ablution blocks and a conference hall.

The Embu airstrip is also being improved to give the Head of State a safe landing when he arrives in the region to address the nation.
Roads leading to the airstrip are also being upgraded.

At least 42 kilometres of roads in Embu town and its environs have been upgraded to all-weather status. 

Just two kilometres from the venue of the celebrations, the regional commissioner's residence is being upgraded to a mini-State Lodge.

This is here where the President will be served breakfast and lunch with his visiting guests from other countries. 

The President will also meet delegates from the region there and receive their memoranda of their wishes from the Head of State.

It is being spruced up under the strict supervision of officials from the Ministry of Interior. 

Recently Interior Principal Secretary Kithure Kindiki toured the residence and said he was satisfied with the construction work.

All the projects are being carried out simultaneously on a 24-hour basis.

Residents said Madaraka Day has brought development to the area, adding that such events should be regularly held in the county.

"For decades, we never had such development projects being done at the same time. We are happy with what is happening in the area which has for many years been given a raw deal in terms of development," one of the residents, Mr Hesbon Nyaga, said.

Further, the drainage system is being improved as the residents prepare to receive the President.

A survey by the Nation established that government workers are unblocking the drainage system and collecting garbage daily.
Cabro paving work is also going on at the main entrance of the Stadium.

Within the stadium, a military car park is being constructed.

"The region is a beehive of activity. Since the day it was announced that the President will be our guest, we have been enjoying a clean environment in urban centres. We are thrilled," another resident, Mr John Kariuki, said.

Njukiri Stadium, located four kilometres from the venue of the celebrations, is also being upgraded.

"Njukiri will be a sports city which will transform the face of the county," Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji said.

Ms Mbarire is happy with the massive development projects.

She recollected how she convinced the Head of State to hold the celebrations in her county.

"The president agreed that we host the celebrations and I'm grateful," she stated.

Traders said they were eagerly waiting to receive the guests.

"We are renovating our hotels and expanding them to be able to accommodate as many guests as possible," one of the traders, Mr Kanyi Mwangi, said.

Local youths welcomed the decision to hold the celebrations in the area, saying the move has greatly benefitted them.

"Jobs have been created. We have been employed to build roads, stadiums and to install street lights and to clean town, we can earn a decent living," one of the youths said.

However, a group of traders who had encroached on Embu Stadium have been counting losses after they were evicted.

"We have been operating here for decades and we were surprised to be told that we were illegally occupying part of the stadium. We were kicked out to pave the way for forthcoming celebrations and we lost businesses," one of the traders lamented.

Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi said he was impressed by the beauty of Embu town.

"The stadium has brought development, a multi-million market is also being constructed in Embu town by the national government, I'm a happy leader," said Mr Mundigi.

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