COUNTY POSITION, AVOID CLANISM

 BY  ADOW JUBAT

The coming into law by the new constitution that propagates devolved system of County Government that aimed at decentralize resources and power to the people, at the village level, is of great achievement to the to the marginalized people of North-Eastern region.

For over four decades of our country’s independence the communities in the Northern region were disadvantaged through politics of exclusion, neglect and discriminations by the successive governments.

 The only known contact with their government since the country independent in 1964, for the people in this remote region is one of suspicion, atrocities like that of famous Wagalla massacre, brutal security operations and Emergency that curtailed their integration with other Kenyans and Economical prosperity.

 Despite all these impending factors to their progress, the people of NEP remained resilient in the hope of a brighter light at the end of the long dark tunnel, which true to their expectations came to into fruition on 7^th, August 2010, when the new constitution was promulgated.

But, all indications to the realization of the better times a head for people of this region seems remotely bleak, if clans are not extra- vigilant to the maneuvers of old fashioned and clan minded politicians attempts to create a selfish wedge between the clans who have better stayed together and the most hardest of political and constitutional times is not nibbed in the budding.

 For their personal interests, some senior politicians from the region have started to inspire in the minds of their clan followers who are majority illiterate, misleading believes that for their clan to benefit maximally from the new political dispensation, they MUST get certain positions mainly Senator or Governor Slots for their respective communities.

Some (politicians) are even too busy in bid to form clan alliances, which will obviously exclude some of the clans who have rightful stake in the Counties positions, in order to avail themselves an easy ladder to make to their dream position despite highly risks of sparking a bloody discontent from the other isolated clan members.

In a matter of fact I’m yet to convinced how unqualified clan mate in the position of senator or Governor, will help the herder, whose cows need water in Alijarire or Danyere?

Clans in North-Eastern MUST not got lost to the factors that, it never matter whose clan is in poison A or B in the forthcoming County governments. What should be of priority concerns to them is the capability and qualifications of the individuals to be entrust with the position of power.

To avoid continuity of marginalization through self elected leaders, we MUST adequately interrogate the characters, leadership abilities, past and present records of those vying for any position in the County or National Governments to avoid scuttling the aspirations and vision of our a new constitution of emancipating us from shackles of bad leadership and rotten institutions.

Any leader with slight past or present tinted leadership record MUST be rejected to ascend to any position of leadership at both County and National levels at all cost for us to emancipate ourselves from greedy, selfishness tribalism, political of exclusion and of all the worst corruption practices of the few.

We MUST not re-invite past political criminals who are out of cells, with sheer courtesy of the inefficient old constitution to spoil for our communities to achieve what they  have been yawning for many decades through a bloody struggle and torturous perseverance.

 Majority of these MPs now eyeing the seemingly prestigious Senator or Governor Slots, inefficiency was already clearly displayed thanks to ongoing live coverage of parliamentary debates proceeding, which started early 2007.

These legislators now poking their big mouth when speaking to their clan sycophants on how to retain lucrative County positions for their clans, were conspicuously truant from most parliamentary sittings debated on matters of National interest or were visibly, when they were going to house toilets for natural calls to borrow words of former MP Mukyisa Kitui during 2002 transitional election, when describing some Former 

MPs who clung to dying KANU despite all signs showing disastrous lose for the Independent party.

Devolving the cancers of tribalism, bad leadership, corruption and bad policies, which are killers of our past unitary system of government, MUST not be tolerated by any average thinking Kenyan despite of his/her clan, region or political affiliations.

Our good constitution provides legal framework to take us to our dream cannan, but the leaders we shall elect to the respective County and National positions will be the conveyers’ belts. So voters forewarned.

Ends.

NB: The writer is a senior Journalist with The Standard Newspaper Based in North-Kenya.