BWIRE: Open letter to Busia governor

Dear Your Excellency the Governor

I am a resident of Busijo village in Busia County though I spent most of my time outside the County, fishing to feed my family.

With one year and some months in office as the Governor, and aware that you have served extensively in both the private sector and public sector in very high positions including as a minister, am sure you have settled in office.

I have watched you on TV or I think a clip from a funeral and got the impression the government has now embarked on serious business.

Bwana Governor, times are hard for us in the County just like they are for the rest of the country, and though obviously we cannot expect handouts as it happens during election campaigns, county government cannot provide employment to all people or use employment to win political loyalty or repay those who supported you, there are basic things that if handled could help us in the villages.

Some of us have no prospects of getting those opportunities as we live so far from Busia town- even fare to that town is not easy.

We even with our basic village economics know that while town dwellers believe development is measured in “block and mortar” investments-buildings, roads, dams and related, development and social change come to a change of mindset, acquisition of new knowledge and innovations, and leadership presence.

Your ward-based economic revitalisation programme sounds very practical approach to dealing enhancing productivity in the agricultural sector, and value addition- that would make us in the villages get involved in the economic revitalisation of our county and get something on our tables.

The approach is a game changer that should be mainstreamed in the implementation of the CIDP so that we move away from town-based development thinking- our best chances are in the villages, but we need very aggressive knowledge sharing and extension services.

Your excellency, I am requesting that Funyula, my subcounty the main anchor of your development thinking through opening and staffing an operational office, integrating my Busijo village administrator and Bwiri ward administrator in your planning will make us in the village get to feel your presence.

Please, organise an orientation and culture change programme for the ward and village administrators including on protocol and understanding their role.

We are yawning to see and talk to our agricultural and livestock extension officers to help us know how we can improve our farming and climate-smart agriculture- please focus and allow them to visit us in our homesteads.

Your excellency, huku Busia, you please look at the small matter of prioritising good public projects so that we save the meagre resources that had gone in.

I am sure in addition to my suffering Busijo water project which has a huge potential in Funyula Sub County, there are several other projects in the country that if finalised could help us villagers.

Please talk your CECMs and Chief officers to visit us in our villages- we don’t know some of them by face- tell them that they work is not only to walk with passports and international trips and meetings outside Busia- my uncles in Osieko are not sure whether government exists or will come next year.

Some of your enforcement and revenue clerks are very good citizens and very generous in keeping county money into their pockets- Maisha ni ngumu- lakini some have overstayed and gifting them to work elsewhere will work- we will miss them, but Busia County will gain. Redeployment of officers especially in the revenue collection, accounts and procurement sections is inevitable.

I was impressed by your attention to decongesting of Busia Town- those who go for wages and salaries in Busia town tell us the now trailers are not competing with them on the road, and movement back toe village is good- traffic has reduced and they bring us goodies when there is still day light.

With December Holidays coming, young armed boys are forcing us to part with our meagre valuables including second hand bikes and empty wallets because of darkness- if you get small time and resources, please light up our marketing centres by repairing street and public lights- we want to see how full the gorogoro is from the mama mbogas- and see and wail when those criminal gangs that want to steal our poverty strike.

Lastly your excellency, focus on few high impact projects that people shared and don’t allow to be owned by those who talk loudly.

The silent majority matter and care for the country than those who follow evening and morning.