Dear Ruto, will Meru State Lodge end livestock theft, fix roads or create jobs for hustlers?
By David Nthua, June 29, 2026Dear President William Ruto,
On Sunday, June 28, 2026, you defended your government’s plan to establish a State Lodge in Meru County.
You said, “I have the duty to walk and sleep in every part of this country. If there is a State Lodge in other parts of the country, why should there not be a State Lodge in Meru County?“
Fair point. Meru deserves national recognition like any other part of Kenya. But recognition is not the same as priority.
Before you spoke, Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma gave the country a more urgent story. Farmers, he said, had lost livestock and were pleading for compensation.
His words were painful: “Wakulima wote, tumepoteza mifugo wetu sana… hawana mbele na hawana nyuma, hawana livestock… Tunaomba compensation.”
That should have been the main issue.
A State Lodge may give Meru prestige. It may give the president a place to work when visiting the region.
But it will not stop livestock theft. It will not return stolen cattle. It will not fix roads to markets. It will not equip health centres. It will not create the jobs Meru youth are crying for.
In 2022, you rose to power on the hustler’s promise. You spoke to farmers, boda boda riders, mama mboga, small traders and jobless young people.
You even promised free internet and phone calls, a message that touched low-income earners who needed cheaper access to business, education and opportunity.
That was the language of livelihoods.
The proposed State Lodge, reportedly planned for Igembe Forest, will require public money. Even without an official cost estimate, nobody should pretend such a project is cheap.
Whether it costs hundreds of millions or more, construction is only the start. There will be maintenance, staffing and security.
In a country where citizens are told to tighten their belts, every major public project must answer one question: how many ordinary lives will it change?
Meru needs fairness, yes. But fairness should first mean safe farmers, working roads, hospitals, jobs and compensation for families ruined by livestock theft.
Mr President, Meru is not asking to be ignored.
It is asking why a State Lodge should come before the hustlers who believed your promise.
Yours sincerely,
David Njeru Nthua, Political Affairs Writer, People Daily Digital