Nominated Member of Parliament Sabina Chege has raised concerns over what she described as underdevelopment in Bungoma County, attributing it to differences in economic activities and income sources.
Speaking on Spice FM on Thursday, Chege shared her observations from a recent visit to the county, where she was surprised by the widespread use of mud houses.
“When we attended the burial of the mother of our Speaker of the National Assembly, I was shocked to see that in Bungoma County, there are still many mud houses, and even an entire shopping centre made of mud,” she said.
She contrasted this with Central Kenya, where she noted that higher incomes from cash crops like tea and coffee have contributed to better living standards.
“We would wake up early before school to pick tea and work late into the evening. We worked very hard. We farmed," she recalled, emphasizing how tea farming played a crucial role in her upbringing.
She explained that families in her region used proceeds from cash crops to invest in education, secure bank loans, and build better homes.
“The cash crops in Central Kenya have made the people improve their lifestyles,” she noted, adding that access to stable income sources has been a major factor in regional development differences.
However, Chege clarified that her remarks were not meant to favour one region over another but to highlight the economic factors that influence development. She stressed that the disparity is not about work ethic but rather the availability of income-generating opportunities, particularly in agriculture.
She urged for policies that support diversified economic activities across the country to bridge the gap in development.