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| Why MPs Were Rejected In North-Eastern Province Story by MOHAMED D. WEYRAH
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North-Eastern Province is very nearly the poorest and certainly the least densely populated province in Kenya. The inhabitants live on the edge of poverty, for they are too poor to make their voices heard.
They are often not properly represented, and therefore, they cannot convey their needs. They do not have the power to voice their opinions where major decisions are made about the future � their own future.
With health and sanitation services almost non-existent in most parts of the province, the average person in the region can expect to live just 33 years.
Only 13 per cent of the inhabitants have access to safe water and electricity. The number of children who die before the age of five and the number of women who die during or as a result of childbirth are among the highest in the country.
Poor educational facilities due to many decades of neglect have contributed to very low literacy rates. Only a few can read and write. A large percentage of the population are mainly nomads who have roamed the rugged arid land for centuries. Their life revolves around their vast but shrinking herds. Scarcity of pasture and water due to drought are threatening their way of life. They get little assistance in relief from the World Food Programme, and when they do, it is only after many lives have been lost.
But the people they elected to represent them (MPs and councillors) have long forsaken them. The MPs live far away in Nairobi, in well secured houses, enjoying state of the art health facilities that many can only dream of.
Instead of helping their people break out of the cycle of poverty and ignorance by using their responsibilities to influence the Government to give their people basic needs such as food, shelter, health and education, they dine with the rich and the powerful.
When the time for elections come, they stand silently in long queues to cast their ballots in the same way they queue for public transport. The political fatcats come along loaded with sacks of money driven in air-conditioned Pajeros.
Votes can be bought and falsified. During the campaign period, they humble themselves to their kin who sing their praises in exchange for bundles of miraa and token cash. The poor accept the handouts because they are desperate for money to feed their hungry families.
The hostile reception the Yes delegates got in Garissa on September 17 from the very people they are meant to represent was appalling but not unexpected.
The political landscape has changed dramatically in recent years and people are enlightened. It's not easy any more to effectively impose a selfish, interest-driven agenda upon the people. Those who don't read the mood of the people like the current NEP MPs got what they deserved.
Banana or orange is not what our people are fighting for or against. They are fighting for their rights. Where were the mighty MPs and ministers when people were dying of hunger due to drought? Why could they not give out the bananas and oranges they are handing out today? Drought is still rampant in many parts of the region but who cares?
It was not surprising that when people were asked recently in a BBC survey to name those with the most influence on their decision-making, 85 per cent of those asked said religious leaders. Politicians came last.
One of the key features of reaching a consensus on any issue important to the people like constitution-making is that there should be broad consultations within the leaders and wide participation by civil society, to ensure a sense of ownership.
The process of constitution-making requires time, innovative thinking and consensus. It should be people-driven.
My message to all leaders, be they MPs or councillors is this: Work as a team to represent all areas, values, and cultures of the people. Your role should be to do what is best for the region first. You need to listen to the views of all people, and then you can determine the solutions and implement them systematically.
Mr Weyrah is a graduate student in the School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom |
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