By Abdullahi Jamaa
Recently, I saw a Facebook post from one resident of Wajir. A colorful shot of a newly built tarmac road, a gigantic billboard and superimposing perimeter walls of palatial homes on both sides of the street. Is this really Wajir, I asked myself?
It was an image that portrayed an attractive Disneyland, at least to the standards of Africa and not one expected from a town like Wajir which suffered from so many years of marginalization. The picture is a compelling display of an ambitious first-worldliness away from the crumbling third-worldliness that the old county was used to for so long.
In Wajir devolution is progressively turning the tides initiating new levels of optimism and hope. Life seems to show some semblance of modernity in an area that was known for backwardness, devastation and destitution.
During the first five years of devolution, Wajir, a reserve in the Horn of Africa region known for its huge population of camels, made a robust transformation that has seen the county to be taken as a benchmark for the rest.
Lots of development happened in the last few years, with the first five years of devolution marking an important calendar in the transformation of the frontier county. Indeed, Wajir has come from far and it’s now making a difficult but motivating roadmap to lasting growth and prosperity.
The current administration did some commendable improvements in service delivery. Wajir has now one of the few COVID-19 testing laboratories across the Horn of Africa region, a dialysis center for people suffering from Kidney failures bolstering the already existing referral hospital.
Before devolution, Life in Wajir was one of the hardest in the country. Listless and depressed Residents loaded the dice in life, caught up in a persistent state marginalization and deeply rooted underdevelopment.
In the 90s, even way before that and up until 2013, Wajir was a boring hinterland, a failed hamlet overrun by abject poverty. It was known for sporadic clan feuds, cyclic droughts and dwindling living standards. Its residents suffered from a passive life of stagnation that until today affects the tender trunk of devolution.
The overwhelming majority of the predominantly nomadic community felt neither the presence nor the absence of any government. At the heart of the North-eastern region, Wajir was reeling under the weight of protracted economic and social crises.
Social amenities were almost non-existent, health and education registered the lowest level of indicators and generally the local economy that depends largely on livestock and livestock products performed dismally.
Economic graph
Now, the story is different, the town that braved over a century of underdevelopment and state neglect is having a facelift. An impressive trend of improvement is liberating the local economy, inspiring concerted efforts not just from the government but also from the people themselves.
With a growing road network especially within the town, construction of modern residential and commercial buildings are picking up, new shops and restaurant are entering the stage while existing ones are improving their products and services. It’s no longer a sleepy town but a lively and bustling one.
No doubt that devolution is changing the economic graph of Wajir and its people. There are now more opportunities for jobs and businesses, giving residents investment options away from the traditional one that relied upon on pastoralism.
A new socio-economic category, the rural rich, is emerging creating more opportunities for earning a decent livelihood. Although extreme poverty level still stands at 62% down from where it was before 2013 at 84%, economically, there seems to be a ray of hope.
The gains of devolution are handsome and timely for counties like Wajir and many others from Northern Kenya that is now getting a piece of the national cake. With billions of shillings pumped into the grassroots, the county leadership must seize the golden chance to raise the bar and improve service delivery.
Even as Wajir’s growth and prosperity are beginning to spread deep into its remote settlements, many people are still surviving on the edge, eking out a living in the most deplorable conditions. At the moment when a national economic crunch is affecting all counties, the impact of devolution is apparently degenerating.
The amount of money that trickles down with the goodies of devolution can solve a lot of the county’s economic conundrum, which means Wajir can easily gain sustainable development if it puts in place a prudent fiscal and monetary mechanism.
Priding itself as one of the remaining traditional hotspots for pastoralism in Africa, Wajir can also manage a social welfare program to pay cash to vulnerable groups like women and the aged. But for now, this will remain a pipedream as there is a catalogue of priority issues to uncheck one by one.
Wajir has a huge population of people who cannot afford one meal a day, many others are living from hand to mouth, while a significant majority are working so hard to earn a living from the underdeveloped informal sector that depends on archaic pastoralism.
A lot needs to be done in defining a sustainable roadmap for a wholesome and synergic approach to development. The majority cannot wait for long and in a country of a fledgling democracy, devolution may face the axe from grandmasters of bad politics. It therefore means, the local leadership must harness the current opportunity to the maximum.
Quick fix
A quick economic fix is needed, people-oriented socio-political strategy is a must and addressing the needs of the poor majority is a duty that not only requires urgent and bold efforts but also priority planning and implementation.
The county must move with speed to make great leaps in all sectors of life. There is no time to waste neither a coin to lose, the clock is ticking, the people are hungry and God is watching. It’s time to seize this golden opportunity with a patriotic leadership that appreciates the bigger picture of life.
The bigger picture is all about overcoming poverty, addressing the people’s problems and managing the affairs of the county with integrity, accountability and transparency. But I am certain with a diplomat as a governor and who understands local and international dynamics of life, Wajir will strive to rise from the ashes.
Away from political leadership, other county personnel such as county executive committee members, departmental heads and other workers must perform their duties with a sense of belonging and devotion. They are the foot soldiers that will determine victory or failure.
Most importantly, what Wajir requires today is a unity of purpose from all clans and political affiliations. Residents have been through rough lessons of clan rivalry, patronage and political arm-twisting. It’s time to say ‘enough is enough’ in pursuit of equality, equity and justice.
The people of Wajir must not forget themselves in the cauldron of tribal politics, a murky venture that has diverted the attention of many from the realities of life. With new technologies, contemporary business models and opportunities, a lot can be done individually without any political involvement. It’s the right time to work so hard and enjoy the fruits of devolution.
Bravo to the people of Wajir!
