Commentaries
Why Abagusii Want Majimbo
- Details
- Published on Friday, 13 March 2009 00:55
In November 2005 at the national referendum on the draft constitution,the abagusii overwhelmingly voted "NO".the orange team carried the day because of a number of reasons among which included the emotive land issue and the fact that the "wako draft" was being fronted by an unpopular government.However,the one issue that totally tilted the scale in favour of the orange group,was the issue of devolution of power.the "bomas draft" which had provided for a trully devolved system of government was watered down by one Amos Wako so much that the president's powers remained almost intact.
Statistics have it that after Nairobi (the capital city) and Mombasa (the port city and tourism hub of the country) Kisii town is the town in which the largest volume of cash flows in the country.there is more money exchanging hands in Kisii town than in Kisumu,Eldoret or Nakuru.this is the result of the economic activities taking place in the larger gusii.in other words,only nairobi and mombasa contribute more to the national economy than gusii.however,when it comes to the allocation of national resources,gusii has always been one of the most sidelined areas in the country.this is because the immense powers enjoyed by the presidency in particular and the executive in general,allow them to allocate these resources as they wish.
In gusii,the road network - a key driver of agriculture - is in a deplorable state.rural electrification is almost unheard of,education and health institutions are in a sorry state.in short,gusii's impressive contribution to the national economy is inspite of a serious lack of the necessary infrastructure.what would happen to the national economy if the region received it's rightful share of the national cake,is anyone's guess.a devolved system of government would ensure that we "kula jasho letu" and consequently the national economy grows.it is no wonder therefore, that in the run up to the 2007 general election,the "majimbo" debate generated almost as much interest in gusii,as it did in the coast province.
The "majimbo" debate however ended up splitting the community.the split was not on clan or party lines but on the basis of whether one was resident in gusii or in the diaspora.for those resident in gusii,"majimbo" seemed like the surest way for the community to get a share of the national cake proportionate to it's contribution to the national economy.those in the diaspora on the other hand were apprehensive because they were misled by the anti-majimbo propaganda that "majimbo" stood to rob them of their hard earned land,property,sources of livelihood as well as other rights they enjoyed.what they didn't consider however was the fact that they would never have moved to areas with good roads,schools and electricity in the first place had majimbo been in place.
It is no secret that the community will continue to get a raw deal as long as the national cake is shared in the current system.unless of course a member of the community ascends to power which we all know is almost impossible when you consider arithmetics.
Statistics have it that after Nairobi (the capital city) and Mombasa (the port city and tourism hub of the country) Kisii town is the town in which the largest volume of cash flows in the country.there is more money exchanging hands in Kisii town than in Kisumu,Eldoret or Nakuru.this is the result of the economic activities taking place in the larger gusii.in other words,only nairobi and mombasa contribute more to the national economy than gusii.however,when it comes to the allocation of national resources,gusii has always been one of the most sidelined areas in the country.this is because the immense powers enjoyed by the presidency in particular and the executive in general,allow them to allocate these resources as they wish.
In gusii,the road network - a key driver of agriculture - is in a deplorable state.rural electrification is almost unheard of,education and health institutions are in a sorry state.in short,gusii's impressive contribution to the national economy is inspite of a serious lack of the necessary infrastructure.what would happen to the national economy if the region received it's rightful share of the national cake,is anyone's guess.a devolved system of government would ensure that we "kula jasho letu" and consequently the national economy grows.it is no wonder therefore, that in the run up to the 2007 general election,the "majimbo" debate generated almost as much interest in gusii,as it did in the coast province.
The "majimbo" debate however ended up splitting the community.the split was not on clan or party lines but on the basis of whether one was resident in gusii or in the diaspora.for those resident in gusii,"majimbo" seemed like the surest way for the community to get a share of the national cake proportionate to it's contribution to the national economy.those in the diaspora on the other hand were apprehensive because they were misled by the anti-majimbo propaganda that "majimbo" stood to rob them of their hard earned land,property,sources of livelihood as well as other rights they enjoyed.what they didn't consider however was the fact that they would never have moved to areas with good roads,schools and electricity in the first place had majimbo been in place.
It is no secret that the community will continue to get a raw deal as long as the national cake is shared in the current system.unless of course a member of the community ascends to power which we all know is almost impossible when you consider arithmetics.
