Likuyani Digest | Ground Reality
Mugabe: Sessional Paper No. 10 Left Key Regions Behind
Likuyani Member of Parliament Hon. Innocent Mugabe has reignited debate on historical regional inequality in Kenya, blaming Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 for skewed development.
Speaking on Friday, 28th August 2026, during an Education Empowerment drive in Kilgoris Constituency, Narok County,
Mugabe said:
“Sheria Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 ile iliwekwa na Jomo Kenyatta, development ilikuwa inaenda sehemu moja. Maasaini, Nyanza, Western na North Eastern walikuwa wameachwa nyuma. Na wale viongozi wote walikuja walikuwa wanafuata hivyo. Ruto akijenga barabara North Eastern anaitwa Wantam. Akijenga airport Narok anaambiwa Wantam. Kenya ni moja, si ya watu fulani.”
The MP argued that successive leaders after Kenyatta continued with the same pattern of concentrating development in one area.
He defended current projects under President William Ruto, saying critics brand the President “Wantam” whenever he builds roads in North Eastern or an airport in Narok.
Mugabe also pointed to the ongoing construction of the Rironi–Mau Summit road, noting that the highway carries containers from Mombasa heading to Malaba, Busia, Uganda, Congo, Rwanda and South Sudan. According to him, previous leaders never prioritised this critical trade corridor that serves Western Kenya and the wider region.
Background
Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965, titled African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya, emphasised investing in areas that would give the fastest economic returns. Critics have long argued that this approach widened the gap between developed and marginalised regions.
Questions on the ground:
Did Sessional Paper No. 10 deliberately sideline Western, Nyanza, Maasai and North Eastern regions?
Should current mega projects be seen as correcting historical imbalances?
Why was a key trade corridor like Rironi–Mau Summit neglected for so long?
The debate on equitable development continues more than 60 years later.
Stay informed. Stay ahead.
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