Shitanda was a selfless leader – President Uhuru

President Uhuru Kenyatta has eulogized the late former Cabinet Minister  Soita Shitanda as a selfless leader who put the interest of the people and the country before his own needs.

Speaking at the burial ceremony in Tande, Malava Constituency, the President said Shitanda was a leader who had a vision for the economic betterment of Kenyans.

“He was a decent man, a honest leader who was faithful until his last moment,” said the President.

President Kenyatta, however, refused to be drawn into politics at the funeral, saying that he is perturbed by opposition politicians who forget that they are at a solemn ceremony.

“I do not understand this (the politics) at funerals,” said the President.

Deputy President William Ruto paid tribute to the late Shitanda , saying he was a hardworking leader who always placed the interest of the people before his own.

The funeral, which was held at Friends School Tande in Malava, was attended by almost all the elected leaders from the region as well as many who traveled from different parts of the country.
On development, President Kenyatta told the residents of Kakamega county, who turned up in large numbers for the burial, that the Government will continue implementing the projects Shitanda championed.

Shitanda, who was the chairman of the Agricultural Development Corporation, was a development minded politician and was described by President Kenyatta as “a man of action”.

The President said works to complete the construction of the Malava-Kakamega road will start soon after the Government changed the contractor who delayed the job.

President Kenyatta said the Government will also spend Sh380 million to upgrade the Malava Hospital.