MERU TO GET STATE LODGE, GOLF COURSE AND AIRSTRIP IN AN EFFORT TO ATTAIN CITY STATUS

The national government has announced plans to finance several major projects in Meru, which will boost the town’s bid towards attaining city status. The proposed facilities are among strategic infrastructure projects aimed at ensuring the town attains the requirements for elevation to a city.
Among the projects lined up are the construction of a state lodge, golf course and an airstrip. They will be built on a piece of land extending from the Meru Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) showgrounds.
According to Forestry Principal Secretary (PS) Gitonga Mugambi, surveyors have already been on the ground on the land allocated for the Meru state lodge project. The PS said the state lodge, once completed, will serve as a major symbol of pride for the county. “There was a great push to have a state lodge here in Meru, and we brought a team here headed by the chief surveyor of the Forestry Department. We were able to get 50 acres of land for the state lodge,” Gitonga said.
The state lodge gives us a sense of pride as the Meru people that the president doesn’t have to sleep in Nyeri when he is visiting. The state lodge will also bring numerous opportunities," he added.
He also confirmed that plans were underway to establish a golf course and an airstrip, projects that Meru residents have been demanding for many years. Gitonga said the two projects will ease transportation and boost businesses
Meru governor Mutuma M’Ethingia welcomed the plans for the three projects in the county. He said the county government would fully support the national government in executing the plans, which are crucial for achieving city status. “Our exercise is very simple: to implement his (the president’s) directives that he gave to the Ministry of Forestry so that, as we attain the city status of our county, we will have the components required,” Mutuma said.