Why NEP is condemned to the graveyard of new wine in an old wine skin

Am a cool and collected guy who has no qualms sticking his neck out for what he believe in.  As a region, we have suffered a series of political and social setbacks caused by our own representatives, which has made us trail the rest of the country. From women to youth, religious leaders to merrymakers (our Nairobi based politicians), no one is above blame. 

Not just setbacks, there are specifics and the most horrific one is the 30 billion shillings that no one is talking about and that may never be accounted for come the  end of its financial year. We have always blamed the National Government for bungling NEP’s way of life in every angle of development. Yes, I blame it too for past atrocities and this has dented its image even globally. But for how long shall we whine?

For a man with 30 billion to whine is the hike of stupidity. Am the kind of man who believe it’s up to every North-Easterner – especially to someone blessed with education and social advantages- to pull the region out of the mire. Do you believe so?  There comes a time in a man’s life when fate offers him a chance to do something significant. It’s rarely extended twice. This job we are doing-Making the county governments of NEP accountable- is not an exciting career opportunity. It’s a patriotic duty.

Ten months after the election, the three county governments of NEP are yet to give a comprehensive and convincing detail on the way forward for the region. Members of the County Assembly, most powerful people in the county constitutionally, who unfortunately don’t understand their role and have never conceptualized their power are a big let down to the electorate. Most of them operate from Eastleigh and buy time at Pronto restaurant, downtown Nairobi during the day! You know the status of Wajir County Assembly, Mandera is not better (In fact majority of those who loiter around Pronto are from Mandera County). Garissa is not any better. I will appreciate if anyone can say anything about Garissa County. That is why we must be the people’s watchman. I told you it’s not exciting neither appealing to be the people’s watchman.  If you must be the watchman, leave your email address as a comment. Other sensitive information may come your way.

Our County Assembly Members are among the most powerful people in the county constitutionally yet the weakest. Why? They don’t understand their constitutional given power! Our County Assembly Members are ignorant lot. They fail to meet the high threshold of suitability. Those who insist on embarrassing them will tell you that none can raise appoint of order in the official language of the house! But don’t worry, we are who we elect.

We humbly urge our County Assembly Members to embrace dialogue in resolving political wrangles. The difference between the region’s Assemblies and Executives is adversely affecting the development agenda of the region. This is more so and specific to Wajir County where the difference between the two has gone physical! Wajir County must stop fighting over morning dew while the rains are yet to fall. They should stop the political bickering for the common good of Wajir. Our politicking has taken too long!  The region’s political mandarins will tell you that our problem is a carry-over of the elections within political caucuses called clan alignment. We pray that 2014 will be the year to shun divisive politics.

We call upon the Assemblies to concentrate on formulating legislation that will develop the specific counties and the region in general. Focus on issues that will deliver NEP residents from poverty and diseases instead of concentrating on meaningless political competition.

I hope this year will see change in Mandera,Wajir and Garissa counties with the Assembly Members embracing a new leadership style that is issue oriented for the sake of development, for the sake of NEP.

The County Executive Committees (CEC) is worse. Their appointment is questionable. Some were interviewed in their mother tongues where that tongue may not necessarily be the only tongue in the county. Some addressed their applications to illegal and unconstitutional entities called Council of Elders who have no role in the administration of the counties. The posts were never advertised in the leading dailies as required by the law! When you appoint a nurse who has no exposure and who upgraded himself to masters via the FAKE Kampala International University, an institution whose credibility is doubted by many including the Kenya government, to head a county ministry like Treasury, What do you expect? Some of the CEC are cronies of the Governors and the Council of Elders and are old timers in the counties. They bring no breath of fresh air. Mark you no region or country has ever made a progress with archaic personnel.  NEP is condemned to the grave yard of new wine in an old wine skin.

In what appears to be their effort to consolidate power and support , without forgetting 2017 political equation (Isn’t it too early) , NEP Governors are rewarding loyalist and have thrown meritocracy out of the window!

Brothers and sisters, we are doing this for a reason. They begin to see us not as heedless rabble-rousers but men worthy of ambitions who could help their region and country if their region would help them. Even some of my age mates’ views towards us are as archaic as the wazees. Something is odd if a person is not liberal when he is young and conservative when he is old. The conservative young men and women are a dagger in the hearts of the liberal young North-Easterners.  Many of those who cast their lot with the old order do so out of personal grudges and are thinking not of the development of the region, but of their own feelings of jealousy and revenge.  I always believe, that to be a fighter for a cause, one must suppress many of the personal feelings that make one feel like a separate individual rather than a part of a mass movement like this one. If, like I do, you are fan of international news, by now you must know why Thailand had erupted all over its face and hands one morning. That is what happens when the masses get fed up with those in power.

Brothers and sisters, free yourself from tribal grudges, and jealousy and join us to free our region from  mire. We are fighting for the liberation of many, not the glory of an individual! Am not suggesting that you become a robot and rid yourself of all personal feelings but you can subordinate your own individual feeling to our common feeling. We have to be together to face the looters, tax dodgers and the drug runners of our counties. The whole experience of how things are done in the restive north makes me feel shell-shocked. Aren’t you?

As we head towards 2014, a number of key events and issues central to our region that will define the political landscape in seismic way will crop up. I will personally invite you to an upcoming forum. (Just leave your email address as a comment). We will discuss the issues that will shape our nascent county governments trudge in to the New Year, new future.  Keep it here!   

A decade ago, when Narc came to power, Kenyans were rated the most optimistic people in the world because Narc pledged free primary  education, zero tolerance to corruption and a 500k job every year. Whether that was delivered or not is neither here nor there. What are our county governments promising? Ten months in to the job and they have given us a bad cheque! Why cant they just promise one thing? The construction of Garissa-Mandera highway wouldn’t be a bad cheque. I don’t care and I don’t want to know whether that is a function under the National government or not! I do understand that there is a synergy between the three county governments and the national county government.  Will they turn the tide? Since am not a believer of their dream, I can be forgiven for not holding my breath. But I do have hope. 

Resentment of Council of Elders (The have no role in the administration system of the counties yet most powerful) autocratic rule, the unfair balance of political power between the aged and the youth along with poor living conditions by the ordinary North-Easterner is causing much anger and ill-feeling. It’s a time-bomb waiting to explode. Anytime!

On April 1917, exiled Russian political activist Vlademir Lenin returned to St Petersburg on a train from Finland and precipitated a second revolution in Russia, which ushered in the communist era and brought about the shocking execution of the Royal Family. Is it time to return and ‘execute’ the royal family that is the Council of Elders?