Today in Kibauni Ward, Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti once again demonstrated what true grassroots empowerment looks like. Under the Emergency Locust Response Program (ELRP), she distributed 1,824 Galla goats to 76 farmer groups in Ikalaasa Location and 2,303 improved one-month-old Kienyeji chicks alongside chick mash to 4 women groups. That’s not just a handout; that’s a lifeline to sustainable income, food security, and agricultural revival.
Governor Wavinya didn’t stop at livestock. She also commissioned the Mbiuni Market Borehole Water Reticulation Project, directly improving access to clean water another vital pillar of rural economic resilience.
Meanwhile, just a few kilometers away in Matungulu, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was leading what was dubbed a “Kenya Kwanza empowerment” event. Unfortunately, this ended up being a token affair, where attendees reportedly walked away with a mere Ksh 200 each echoing similar “empowerment” drives across the country where government officials use choppers to fly in for short-lived publicity stunts in the name of helping women groups.
The contrast couldn’t be more telling.
While the national government hops from one stage to another with empty pledges and photo ops, real change is being seeded on the ground by Governor Wavinya and her team livestock in hand, clean water flowing, and women-led groups growing in capacity.
If we are to have a serious conversation about empowerment, we must ask: Is it about optics or outcomes?
Because clearly, Machakos is choosing the latter.
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