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BY LUKE KAPCHANGA DN/WEBUYE KITUYI 11/4/2005
Trade & industry minister Dr Mukhisa Kituyi has said that members of the Luyia community will remain poor if they do not change the attitude of being reluctant to venture into business.
Dr Kituyi observed that the community will always be labelled as producers of cooks and watchmen when they leave business opportunities slip away.
He complained that the people of Western province have taken poverty to be away of life and do not struggle to get out of it.
Addresing mourners at the burial of the late Samuel Wamalwa Wanyonyi at Chebukaka village in Sirisia constituency, Bungoma district , the minister challenged the youth to fight poverty like a disease.
He said the region was marginalised during the KANU governement and people thought poverty was part of them and to make money is like an accident.
"Our people have to raise up and fight poverty mercilessly like a plague to make money and develop the region" he remarked.
He told the people of the region to take a brake from political squables and concetrate on income generating projects which will change their living standards.
Dr Kituyi said the Luyias were not taking risks and are only waiting for the government sponsored projects to claim that development was coming to their respective areas.
"Development is not building of roads, schools, hospitals and supply of electricity only but is about involvement of local people to generate money", he said.
He gave the example of the community to two watchmen, one with shoes and another barefooted. He explained that the one with shoes will buy new ones when they get stollen yet the barefooted will never think of buying a pair because he is comfortble in that state.
He claimed the community was not being ambitious enough to participate in the global economy when the doors are open to third world countries.
The minister was accompanied by more than twenty councillors drawn from Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia ang Lugari districts .
Dr Kituyi appealed to the residents of the province to concetrate on development issues and leave politics to the next general elections in 2007.
"There will always be elections after five years in this country unless the military takes over, so people should waste time on politics every time they have the opportunity to address the public" he said.
He said elected leaders were dwelling much on politics to hide their failures in addresing peoples needs and ensuring that government services are delivered.