Post by James Gitonga.

Hon. Justice Chitembwe, the Presiding Judge,Hon. Magistrate Hannah Ndungu, Senator Mithika Linturi, Deputy Governor Titus Ntuchiu, the County Commissioner Mr. Wilfred Nyagwanga, Honourable Members of Parliament- elect, Honourable Members of County Assembly-elect, Religious Leaders, Distinguished Guests, fellow Members of Meru County:

Allow me to thank most sincerely the Presiding Judge Chitembwe and the Hon. Magistrate Hannah Ndungu who have administered the oath of office to me, as the Second Governor of Meru County. I also want to express my thanks and gratitude to the Assumption of Office of Governor Committee members who have worked tirelessly to make this event successful.
I wish to thank the IEBC team for conducting a free, fair and transparent election.

I thank you for electing Hon Titus Ntuchiu, Senator Mithika Linturi and I to these important offices. I also wish to thank all of you who have come from far and wide to witness this historic event. Allow me to finally thank the Almighty God and my campaign team who has made it possible for all us to here to witness this great day.

This brief ceremony is very significant. It marks a major turning point in the history and politics of Meru.
We have come here to launch a new beginning for this County. The days of the Big Man, Lone Ranger leadership are now gone. We are entering a new era of consultative leadership and participatory development.

Please don’t call me "His Excellency, Honourable, Governor Kiraitu Murungi EGH". I have not come here to look for titles. I have come here to work. Just call me Governor Kiraitu.

We have a BIG DREAM TO MAKE MERU GREAT. We want to make Meru one of the best governed and one of the richest and prosperous counties in Kenya. In a short while we shall create an all-inclusive professional team, that will deliver on this project.
As stated in great detail in our manifesto, we shall invest heavily in water and agriculture, because increased agricultural productivity is our fastest route to get our people out of poverty. We shall also mobilize resources to open up the huge untapped tourism potential of this county.

We shall create a friendly business environment, so that we promote entrepreneurship, expand private capital investments, urbanization and industrialization in this County. We shall pay special attention to those struggling in the bodaboda, matatu and mama mboga sectors.
We shall improve the road networks, electricity, and fibre optic connectivity and reduce the cost of doing business in this County. We shall digitalize all revenue collection systems in this County to eliminate theft and corruption.
We shall work closely with the National Government to improve security, roads, healthcare and education infrastructure in the County.

We shall provide free education and free milk for all nursery school children in Meru County.
Our youth are the wasted and underutilized warriors of development. We shall establish a Meru Youth Service, to tap their ideas, creativity and enormous energies to make Meru Great.
We shall encourage NGO’s and Foreign Missions in Kenya to partner with us to realize our dream of Making Meru Great.
In the past, our leaders have been engaged in endless personal supremacy wars which have been of no benefit to the people of Meru.
Each of us wants to be the strongest, the best, the biggest and the brightest. I shall work tirelessly to bring our leaders together in win-win politics that promote peace, unity and prosperity for our people.
I shall do my best to establish friendly relations with our neighbours, especially the Governors and leaders of Isiolo and Tharaka-Nithi Counties for the benefit of our people.
As for my learned friend Peter Munya, my message is ‘Relax’ there will be no revenge. Please respect the will of the people of Meru. MUNYA NERWE AUME KIENINE. REFEREE NARINGIRE THIRIMBI. MUBIRA IJURATHIRIRE. GUTI UNTHU BURIO BURU. NEJE TURITE NGUGI.
I shall work with all MPs, MCAs and other leaders to make Meru Great. We shall create an all-inclusive Meru Economic and Social Council (MESC) as a permanent think-tank for socio-economic transformation of Meru County.
We shall establish development boards at the County, Sub-County and Ward levels, to facilitate strategic planning, equitable resource allocation and participatory development at all levels.
Finally let me say I am not the Governor of Imentis, Tiganias or Igembes. I am the Governor of all of you. Come let us move forward together. Let us build a new Meru idea by idea, stone by stone, wall by wall, beam by beam. Meru is for all of us. Let us make it great.
As it is written the book of Isaiah chapter 60 verses 1-6, "let us Arise and Shine, for your light has come, and the Glory of the Lord has risen upon you"

Thank you very much.
God bless you all.
Governor Kiraitu Murungi.