Raila says factory cashewnut will be repossessed

By Joseph Masha and Wills OkecthPrime Minister Raila Odinga has vowed the Government will repossess the Kilifi Cashewnut Factory and revive it.
He directed acting Industrialisation minister Amason Kingi to return the plant to the public for rehabilitation.
At the same time, Raila said the squatter problem at the Coast would be adequately addressed by county governments and the new Constitution.
"The county governments are best placed to handle the squatter problem and resolve it once and for all," Raila assured.
The PM spoke at a public rally in Kilifi town as he continued a tour of the Coast Province that follows one conducted by his political rival and Eldoret North MP William Ruto.
OpportunitiesRaila said there would be a follow-up on the factory issue and assured residents that the factory would be revived soon.
"The revival of the factory will create job opportunities to the local people and also give a ready market to the farmers for the produce," he said.
Local leaders had earlier asked the PM to intervene and ensure the factory was returned to the public and be fully revived. It is currently under private management.
Raila tried to steer clear of direct politics although his team prodded him to drive Ruto out of ODM.
Party vice-chairman Ramadhan Kajembe claimed Ruto and his allies were wrecking ODM from within and should be kicked out without further delay. "The more he stays in ODM the more he wrecks it," Kajembe said.
Also present were Cabinet ministers, Mohamed Elmy and Kingi, and MPs Alfred Khangati, Omar Zonga and Gideon Mung’aro.
The PM assured the youth that they would be issued with national identity cards as the Government has extended the contract for a firm issuing the documents.
Raila was also in Kilifi to distribute relief food to famine-stricken families and 1,500 footballs to 250 football teams in the county.
Workers’ grievancesOn the recent Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) unrest, Raila said an inter-ministerial committee would look into issues affecting the state corporation including workers’ grievances.
He further said that the Government would repossess all beach plots allocated irregularly to private developers. "I have assured area leaders that such plots will revert back to the public," said Raila
Kingi who is the Fisheries Development minister said most of the targeted plots are fish landing sites along the coast and urged the Government to protect them.
"My ministry has initiated plans to identify all fish landing sites at the Coast and issue them with title deeds," he said.