“And when I speak, I don’t speak as a democrat or a republican or an American. I speak as a victim of the so called democracy. You and I have never seen democracy- all we have seen is hypocrisy. When we open our eyes today and look around America, we see America not through the eyes of someone who has enjoyed the fruits of Americanism. We see America through the eyes of someone who has been the victim of Americanism. We don’t see any American dream. We have experienced only the American nightmare” -- (MALCOM X)
Turkana County- the largest of all the forty seven counties that make
up the Republic of Kenya occupies the North-Western part of the country. With
an area of 77,000km2 it shares international borders with Ethiopia
to the North, Sudan to the North West and Uganda to the West. Lodwar, which
serves as the headquarters of the vast region was established in the year 1919
as an army base for the colonial government and developed into an
administrative centre in 1939. The town is famous for its use as training ground
for the Kenya Defence Forces and has since developed into a modern town- at
least compared to the other towns in the county. With the lowest rainfall in Kenya and Africa,
life in this part of the world is characterized by substandard living, lack of
security, unreliable food and inadequate clean water sources, and generally an
overall daily fight for survival. Like many other regions of rural Northern
Kenya, the local community has to depend on the philanthropy and charity of
friends of goodwill and Non-Governmental Organizations in the form of relief
food which may not always be forthcoming or in sufficient quantities. They have
been passing their days in extreme inhuman conditions with a few engaging in
business but with the challenge of a ready market for goods and the fact that
nobody knows the hour nor the day when the devil, masquerading as a cattle
rustler, will strike. There has been high level of poverty among the local
populace characterized by low level of literacy, poor health, malnutrition,
wanting educational facilities and depressing environmental and sanitation
conditions. Government interventions have always remained traditional despite
the clear indications that the conditions of this impoverished region demand
innovative approaches. Government in government out, issues that touch on the
basic human rights of the people in northern Kenya have fallen on deaf ears.
Ranging from security that is anchored in the supreme law of the land as a
fundamental right to a decent living, those of us that allegedly made a mistake
of consenting to be born here are a forgotten lot that appears to be occupying
a place beyond the longest distance in the horizon, the eyes of the past three
regimes could see even when stretched to the maximum. The government in which we banked all our hope in
1963 in our hitherto mistaken belief that it will level the playing field and
the rules of the game has times without number been abused by those in ‘Kenya’
who, until the oil discovery, subscribed to the fallacious and backward believe
that the North Western part of Kenya is not part of this great nation. To
exclude this vast region and its inhabitants from reaping from the economic
boom that has transformed the rest of the country is contrary to the basic
principles on which humanity is founded. While the Government of
the Republic of Kenya and the entire Kenyan fraternity can boast of numbers in
economic and social development, the northern part of the country has been
stagnant, thanks to the leadership of this great East African nation. One may
even wonder whether the so called equal distribution of national resources has
any practical meaning when it comes to its application in Kenya. It is on
record that immediately after independence, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta took a solemn
vow to move this country forward and fight disease, poverty and ignorance. Yet
after fifty years of turbulence and struggle on the part of the inhabitants of
these impoverished regions, there is nothing to write home about in Turkana
County. The basic principles of citizen protection on which a larger chunk of
the Constitution 2010 is founded on, have not found their way into the
priorities of Kenya’s torch-bearers.
The creation by the infamous coalition government in April 2008 of the
Ministry of State for the Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands
was by any stretch of imagination an abuse on the Kenyan taxpayer as it did not
address any issue evidenced by the lack of concrete self-sustaining projects
that are a concomitant results of the work undertaken by the now defunct
ministry. The
leadership has failed to atone itself to the fallacious claims that they are
elected into office to serve and preserve the interests of Kenyans, poor or
rich, marginalized or not, northern or central. Not even in the jungle does the
government sit on the fence watching while its citizens- some of whom fought
for the independence of the country are butchered by the enemy from yonder as
it happened in the Todonyang’ massacre or feast on dog’s meat (whatever that
one means). Failure on the part of the county and national governments to deal
with the situation in northern Kenya ranging from neglect to human rights
violations has had drastic consequences on the quality of life of these poor
sons and daughters of God. The communities consider these concerns a high priority,
the foundation of their very existence, their constitutional right, and have
taken considerable energy to speak out and act on the issue. I have witnessed people
who succumbed to the drought together with their animals and families because
they had all the hope to live, the place to live, but did not have the food to
eat. I have witnessed people who died in the presence of all their friends and
relatives who had the generosity and sympathy but lacked the food to share out
to them. I have seen and heard of
friends and relatives who were ambushed by the enemy in the presence of armed
government security officers who chose to “stay cool” and let the devil take
over. The recipients of this kind of injustice are the ordinary men and women
who toil and moil in Northern Kenya all day and night with stubborn hope. A
pro-active approach can effectively and efficiently address such hunger
problems and nip them in the bud before they arise to the horrendous levels
they have now gone to. Only then can Kenya claim to be a democracy of the rule
of law in which all are equal before the jus
commune and a nation of the people, by the people and for the people. it is
high time we stood firm on the ground and ask ourselves what exactly is
happening in the once “rich county”.
The Writer is a Youth
Leader and Law Student at the University of Nairobi
Blogger at www.ekainabenyo.blogspot.com
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