Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

- Nominated MP Sabina Chege has expressed shock over the state of housing in Bungoma county, where she observed an abundance of mud houses.

During an interview on Spice FM on Thursday, March 27, Chege recounted her experience visiting the region, stating that such conditions were "unheard of" in her native Mt Kenya region.

The legislator noted that in Central Kenya, the economic backbone of cash crops such as tea and coffee has significantly improved the standard of living, allowing many families to construct permanent homes.

"As late as, I think, late last year, it was early this year actually, when we went for the burial of the father of our Speaker of National Assembly. I was shocked to find that in Bungoma county, we have a lot of mud houses, actually a shopping centre, a whole shopping centre that is made of mud. You know, in central Kenya, maybe this is something that was unheard of," she said.

She explained that in Mt Kenya, families have historically leveraged tea and coffee farming to uplift their livelihoods.

The lawmaker recalled how her mother’s tea farming earnings played a crucial role in her upbringing.

"I was brought up by tea. We would wake up in the morning, pick tea, go to school, come back home, also pick tea that we'll keep for the night, and we worked very hard," she shared.

Chege further clarified that her comments were not meant to pit one region against another but rather to highlight how economic activities influence development.

She pointed out that in Mt Kenya, families used proceeds from cash crops to secure bank loans and build permanent houses.

"It's not that they didn't work hard. It depends on the cash crop that was there before, and I would say the advantage of Mount Kenya was that, you know, I want to single out tea and coffee. The tea and the cash crops, I would say, made the people, you know, improve their lifestyles. That is where people would get a loan, even from the bank, and build decent houses," she said.

However, she acknowledged that the region also faced challenges when tea and coffee prices dropped, leading to a generation that struggled financially and even missed out on education opportunities.

"At some point, after our generation, at some point, there's a time that the tea and coffee prices went down, and I can tell you, we have a generation in central Kenya that has also not gone to school," she stated.

In another report, Chege called on the Mt Kenya region to rally behind Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in prayer.

She emphasised the need for unity and spiritual backing to help him succeed in his role.

Chege praised Kindiki’s leadership and urged the community to support government officials through faith.

Source: TUKO.co.ke