BY ADOW MOHAMED
In 2010, Kenyans enacted a new constitution and with it came the much-heralded devolution system of government. The coming of devolution beamed rays of hope and optimism on many counties in Northern Kenya which had remained marginalised for decades.
Some saw devolution as the ‘magic bullet’ that will correct historical patterns of marginalisation, which were carried over and perpetuated in post-independence.
For a region that had been called ‘The Other Kenya’, devolution marked a new start, ushering in a sense of belonging and self-worth that inspired new hope of a brighter future.
Huge allocation of resources meant that things will not be the same again and that this region has its destiny within reach. In a recently released report by World Bank, Wajir county, for instance, led the 47 counties with 58 per cent of allocated money spent on development.
“I want to assure you that the 42 per cent recurrent expenditure was indeed not wasteful but spent on critical service delivery such as recruitment of health care and early childhood care staff,” said Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi.
On a recent visit to Wajir, a county that still bears the scar of historical state marginalisation, change was evident. In a region where a kilometre of tarmacked road never existed, bulldozers roared for the first time ever and witnessed the construction of 25km of tarmacked road at a cost of Sh1.2 billion.
“This is a milestone. Some of us had not seen a tarmacked road since we were born,” said Hussein Ahmed, a resident.
To address water scarcity, which has been the biggest problem facing northern Kenya, the county has drilled 32 new boreholes at a cost of Sh288 million, as part of efforts to provide safe water for residents and livestock, said Abdullahi.
Despite challenges in implementing devolution, Abdullahi said much will be achieved in the coming years. “Devolution will salvage our people out of historical hopelessness. Together, we can forge our destiny,” he said. “Water continues to be the single most important challenge we face,” Abdullahi said.
“We have invested in acquisition of new and repair of existing water trucks and borehole equipment,” said Abdullahi, who is an accountant.
“Water was my main area of focus during the campaign period. By the end of my five year term, I want to fulfill my promise of providing enough clean water in the county.
” The county has also constructed 14 fresh produce markets across the county. “Our people have long been neglected. That is why we don’t have a single habitable open market in Wajir. In line with that, we constructed 14 fresh produce markets at a cost of Sh6 million each, refurbished Wajir livestock market, and constructed Soko Mjinga II market,” said Abdullahi.
In the health sector, the county has invested heavily in revitalising the sector, said the governor. “We have recruited 170 new health care workers and increased the headcount of our staff from 230 to 501. We have operationalised our district and sub- district hospitals in Wajir town, which for the first time ever are operational for 24 hours, Habaswein, Bute, Griftu, Buna, Korandile and Khorofharar,” he said.
In an effort to address maternal and child mortality, the county has had 32 new maternity wing extensions.
“We have purchased and await delivery of eight new ambulances for the sub-counties. Our facilities are now well stocked with medical supplies, and we are in the final stages of the construction of our medical training centre,” he said.
According to the Kenya Population Situation Analysis report of 2013, an estimated 4,000 of 100,000 expectant women die annually in this region.
Although education remains under the national government, the early childhood development sector is greatly revitalised at the county level with the employment of 300 early childhood teachers.
Abdullahi said his county has recruited 320 Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teachers and constructed 62 ECDE classes across the county, each at a cost of Sh600,000. “Six model ECDE schools were constructed in each sub-county,” he said.
With the recent boycott of teachers to go back to North Eastern, Abdullahi called for the devolution of education so that the counties “can address the shortage of teachers and the perennial strikes”. “I still believe it is the quickest fix if it can be accepted,” he said.
He said his county will sponsor up to 500 students, who meet the minimum entry criteria into the teacher training colleges, to train as teachers in an effort to address teacher shortage in the county.
With the economic mainstay of the region being livestock, more than 600,000 herds of cattle, 4,500 camels and over two million goats were vaccinated against diseases, the governor said.
The county has also constructed eight community centres at a cost of Sh18 million each within the town.The county has also established six flood lights in Wajir town. Solar street lights along one kilometre of the main roads in all sub-county headquarters at a cost of Sh 39 million are also complete.
And unlike many other governors who faced-off with their county assemblies, Abdullahi said “as a county we have largely been spared this sort of disintegrating conflict”.
“For Kenyans to realise the full advantage of devolution, elected leaders at national level must cease to fuel instability in their counties and leaders at the county level, both the executive and the legislative, must constantly dialogue and put the interests of the people before theirs,” he said.
With devolution only turning two next month, the future for the ‘forgotten” lands for Northern Kenya can only be promising.
Source: The Star
