THE PROBLEM WITH NORTHERN KENYA

Dr Adano was 7 years when his father was called out from a list that was being read by government officials as being a shifta sympathizer.That was the last time he saw him alive and more than three decades later he sat at the TJRC hearings in Moyale giving his heart wrenching story .He was crying and watching the rest of the people listening to his story at the Moyale High school in Northern Kenya you could see by the number of teary eyes in the room that what the good doctor had gone through was indeed heart breaking.All this was aired on a short documentary on one of the national channels of the proceedings the commission has been having.

Watching this man cry i could not for the life of me even believe i was hearing the story of a fellow Kenyan.North Eastern Kenya has for long been a part of Kenya that has largely gone unnoticed and as a result it is among the least invested regions while also among the most insecure.There are frequent attacks from bandits living in neighboring countries.There are also even more stories of cattle rustling among the communities living there and more children under the age of five are more likely to have seen an AK 47 than an Ipad.

Insecurity and lack of investment in basic facilities and infrastructure have all but sounded the death knell for this part of the country.For there to be significant development in this area,the present government and future governments need to prioritize this area.

Only by providing and enabling environment for economic activities will we see this area rise from its present state of being host to some of the poorest countries in the country.Security must remain a priority because no business activity can flourish in an area where business owners and customers are worrying about where and when the next bandit attack will come from.It is not enough to be sending anti stock theft unit personnel to these areas,we need to bring out the Calvary if need be to ensure business activities are allowed time and peace in which to grow and thrive.

Residents of these area also need to think long and hard about the people they bring to parliament.We have some of their best minds in the Judicial Service commission,at the Interim Independent Electoral Commission and serving in other high profile capacities in both the private and public sector.They have shown us that where you come from does not determine where you are headed and it is time they were in cognisant of the fact that it is time they changed the way they elect their representatives.Clanism will not do it for this region,only a leader with a vision big enough to accommodate all the communities living in this area will they see development in the region.