Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi has said politics of tokenism and patronage is the biggest challenge facing North Eastern region.
According to him, for far too long local leaders have resorted to practicing this not knowing that it was working against them as far as development is concerned.
Speaking in Garissa on Thursday during a roundtable on Resilience Building for ASAL engagement strategy, Abdullahi said if all the leaders united and spoke with one voice, then they would be taken with seriousness and their issues addressed.
"With 100 MPs you can actually stall everything in Kenya. But we can’t do that because of tokenisms and patronage. Everyone is called aside and promised some small projects in his or her constituency. This is the same even with us governors. I think this is the challenge that we have,” Abdullahi said.
He added, "Going forward we must speak with one voice and demand for our place and our share and stop small, small squabbles and misunderstandings.”
On the issue of water which remains a big challenge in the region, Abdullahi took issue with special development which he said had led to the stretching of the available resources.
“If you ask me today what is the intervention number one that we need for resilience in our counties, it is to stop new settlements. To stop new villages because we are creating new villages at a faster pace than we can cope, spoiling our range land and causing unnecessary conflicts,” he said.
Abdullahi who is also the Council of Governors vice chair further said the reason water tracking won't stop was because for every borehole that is drilled, new settlements are started, something he said only serves to stretch the resources.
He said as governors, they don’t have the enforcement ability to stop new settlements in their respective counties, noting that the fact that it was political complicates matters.
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama said what was needed was a deliberate attempt by the National government to push investors to the region to tap opportunities that he said remained untapped.
Jama said the region, if given the opportunity and support, could be the next grain basket of the country, adding that the fact the region has plenty of land supports his point.
“It is a matter of working together and affirmative sincere approach to working together as partners in this business. The private sector, development partners and county governments. If we all put together our resources I am sure this region can do wonders,” he said.
The governor gave the example of local farmers who have ventured into growing sunflower oil and other exotic products saying that such are the areas that require investors to partner with counties to actualise the dream.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Khalif said capacity building and knowledge sharing are at the core of their strategy.
He said by empowering local communities, government officials, and stakeholders with the right skills and knowledge, they will be paving the way for effective resilience strategies.
“What resonated with me the most was our shared commitment to promoting sustainable livelihoods. We're looking at avenues like eco-tourism, beekeeping, TVET production, and small-scale enterprises to reduce our dependence on climate-sensitive sectors,” he said.
The round table meeting brought together National government officials led by CS Ministry of EAC, ASALs & Regional Development Rebecca Miano, UNICEF Kenya by County Coordinator Steven Jackson and other Development Partners.