Governor: Our insecurity spills over from Somalia

Q. What is the security situation in the region, especially Wajir?

Governor: There are multiple issues to be addressed. One is a clan conflict spilling over from Mandera. Two is Al-Shabaab and the general insecurity in Somalia.

We are dealing with a porous border that is not adequately manned. There is general lawlessness as a result of lack of basic policing. Wajir accounts for 10 per cent of Kenya’s land mass, yet there are less than 500 security officers on the ground. Settlements are many and the distance between them huge. Our communication and road network is poor.

How have you managed to deal with insecurity?

We bring communities together and invest heavily in peace and conflict resolution. In this, we are working with Mandera leadership. There are certain issues security forces are turning a blind eye to.

One is the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) fallout. We need to know about the presence or otherwise of hundreds, if not thousands of TFG people who have come here and we should be truthful.

We need to go back to the records and find out how many came and in which constituency and what their impact is on our security. The blanket condemnation of leaders should stop.

Is the situation improving?

It is stable. There has never been insecurity in Wajir. Over the last decade, Wajir has been the most peaceful county in Kenya. Before the recent clashes, the Inspector-General of Police released an annual report, which showed that Wajir had the least crime rate in the country.

What vision do you have for Wajir and where do you see the county in 10 years?

We started dealing with basic issues. We began fixing the road network. The money we are getting in terms of equitable share is not sufficient to deal with our problems. This is a county that has been historically marginalised. It does not have a lot of investments.

We bought road and agriculture equipment and invested heavily in water and health. Gas has also been found in Wajir, meaning we rate ourselves as an oil and gas economy. We want to train youths so that when this oil comes, we have sufficient manpower.

We are reviving polytechnics and teaching youth basic skills like driving and welding. My government has asked for a commercial terminal to be constructed at Wajir Airport. It needs to be demilitarised.

We are also spending close to Sh200 million on the completion of an abattoir. The idea is to export halal meat and meat products to the Middle East. We want to establish a leather industry, too. In 10 years we should have done away with calamities resulting from drought.

What is your view on devolution?

I believe devolution started off well, although there are certain aspects of the transition that could have been managed better. A lot of time was spent by politicians and technocrats at national level discrediting devolution.

If there is one thing that is working for the Jubilee government, it is that it is seen on the ground and across the country. Unfortunately, wholehearted implementation of devolution is being frustrated by institutional fights. The national government, for instance, is unable to utilise the equalisation fund and leaves it to the county authorities because of the fights.

What do you think of the push for referendum?

It brings together views that are hard to combine. As the Council of Governors, we are determined to close this matter of quarrels on revenue division. The issue of security needs national dialogue while that of IEBC is very divisive but I know that in due course, we will deliberate on it and take a stand.

We are not doing anybody’s bidding. We take a stand based on how it impacts on counties.

What is your take on Senators chairing County Development Committees?

We oppose it because it raises constitutional questions. The law is clear on separation of powers and the issue of planning for development within the county is not a legislative but an executive function. Senators as protectors of county governments are not supervisors of governors.

You’ve recently been petitioned over inequitable resource distribution and corruption.

This is propaganda by my opponents. The National Assembly’s agenda was being hijacked by some MPs to settle personal scores. Fortunately, the draft Bill to impeach governors was declared unconstitutional by the AG.

This petition you are talking about was prepared on the understanding that should that Bill pass, someone could use certain people to have me impeached. Once they realised it was headed nowhere, they ran to the Press.

What do you think is the greatest obstacle to development in Wajir?

Our greatest desire is to see the road from Garissa to Mandera paved. It will be a game-changer for it would open up northern Kenya.