Return a chance for Wajir governor to realise dream

To many Kenyans, the 2022 General Election may pass as any other.

But to the residents of Wajir, it was an opportunity to bring sanity to their county and give hope a second chance.

Having suffered stagnation for the past five years, all they want is a functioning county government, not a laughing stock of the country. 

To them, a golden opportunity was taken away from them in August 2017, when the pioneer governor, Ahmed Abdullahi, lost the election to former ambassador Mohamed Abdi Mohamud.

Mr Abdullahi would contest in court the outcome of the election, which, like in many other counties, was marred by claims of vote rigging.

In the infamous ‘vifaranga vya kompyuta’ (computer-generated election winners), most of the elected Jubilee Party candidates garnered, on average, 54 per cent of the votes cast.

Mr Mohamud, who ran on a Jubilee ticket, had his election nullified by the High Court, a verdict upheld by the Court of Appeal, but he was reinstated by the Supreme Court.

Many Wajir residents said while Mr Mohamud might not bring development, he would ensure the money reaches their pockets.

In April 2021, while barely two years in office, Governor Mohamud was impeached by the county assembly.

He was back in court. His deputy, Ahmed Ali Muktar, was immediately sworn in and took over.

But county government services almost stopped. To the shock of Kenyans, however, the impeached governor continued participating in the county’s affairs alongside Mr Muktar, who was running the show.

Mr Mohamud would ultimately be reinstated by the High Court and take back the reigns earlier this year, though county services were still paralysed.

Mr Abdullahi initiated many projects in healthcare, roads and service delivery, at one point being ranked as the best governor.

Projects stalled

Amid the chaos, some of the projects stalled as they were abandoned by the administration that took over from him.

Some only required finishing touches. Appointed the water ambassador for all 47 counties for his efforts in improving water services in Wajir, he allocated a huge chunk of the county budget to the water supply.

Jiir—as Governor Abdullahi is fondly known—is back in the saddle.

Running on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket in the August 9 elections, Mr Abdullahi garnered 35,533 votes as Jubilee’s Hassan Mohammed Adan got 27,224 and Mr Muktar 21,859.

But the journey ahead for the corporate titan-turned-politician, who, until these elections, was the adviser to National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, is not without bumps and potholes—just like the Wajir roads today. 

The county has some of the best brains that the governor should tap into in his bid to take Wajir to the top.

He should, one, clear the pending bills to unlock cash flow for entrepreneurs.

Two, carry out a payroll audit and remove the ghost workers haemorrhaging the county resources.

Three, issue performance contracts and do appraisals to staff for efficient service delivery.

Four, identify key priority areas for development and implementation projects there.

Five, ensure equitable distribution of resources, development and jobs amongst the eight sub-counties.

Six, set up projects in every sub-county that can bring prosperity.

Seven, establish a youth and women fund to support them in setting up businesses.

Mr Idhow is a communications consultant. [email protected]. @husseinyusufii