THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT FAILURE
BY LUKE KAPCHANGA
Residents of Bungoma county should start asking themselves
if the county government will be effective?
History shows that government initiated projects in the
county collapse basically on poor management in collusion with political
machinations.
As the country gears itself for the implementation of the
constitution, by introducing a devolved system of government, what is being
peddled around is about who to hold which position only.
The basis for declaring interest for this positions is
attached on account of having served in government through appointment in one
way or the other.
And Bungoma is no exception , with county political elites
lining up those they can work with
through alliances with very narrow
interests strategizing on getting hold
of power in the new political dispensation.
If the concern for effective governance is not addressed
now, then the county may be among those to be the first to experience National
government intervention.
The constitution in article 190(4b), authorizes the national
government , if necessary , to assume the responsibility for relevant
functions.
Why should this be?
Brief history of Bungoma can shade some light – the trend of
development right from independence .
Its widely acknowledged
that the first African to hold the current equivalent of Bungoma county
council chairman, Pascal Nabwana put in
place structures for development which remain unrivalled .
Being a selfless leader he hold the post from 1959 – 1963,
was the brain behind the Bukusu welfare association which was the vehicle through which the late
veteran politician Masinde Muliro got his education..
He marshaled the community to get its own district from North Kavirondo, Bungoma had a vibrant cooperative movement
, putting it on the Kenyan map for economic and educational sector.
With independence and Nabwan out of the way, the political
leadership started dismantling everything he stood for, and poverty became a
permanent feature .
It was Masined Muliro, who destroyed the Welfare
association, which apart from playing a pivotal role for his education , and a
vehicle for development and in its place espoused the Luyia unity.
With that very action, community members were almost
criminalized while coming up with
development initiatives aimed at poverty alleviation..
On their part, the political elites developed a systemic
agenda of mass scale poverty creation, by ensuring that institutions of
employment and job creation collapse.
When, the Late Elijah Wasike Mwangale, trod the political
scene like a colossus, the economic fortunes of the region sunk deeper.
The advent of multi- party had a foothold in Bungoma for a
very simple reason, the residents were told and believed that, their suffering
was because of poor leadership, then with the stewardship of Mwangale.
With Bungoma enjoying fanaticall support of the then
opposition against KANU, new breed of leaders amongst them Musikari Kombo and
Mukhisa Kituyi , got the chance as representatives.
With time, the two had the privilege of getting cabinet
appointments, and true to the politics of Bungoma they too became strangers to
the people they were supposed to represent , and any effort to change economic dynamics remained elusive.
Poverty in Bungoma gained momentum during the days of
Ford-Kenya enjoying political supremacy and the district had the distinction as a
Millennium district.
Which meant that the proportion of poverty was very high,
and it required to be used as a trail centre ,every time the Millennium Development
Goals are carried out.
Finding it self in
the Millennium category has not embarrassed the leadership, when all civil
society movements across the country find the excuse to hold a workshop of sorts there.
This brings me to getting worried why the National
government will have reason to intervene in the Bungoma county government in
relation to its functions and powers.
When you analyze the functions and powers of the county
government in agriculture, control of pollution, trade development and regulations,
and ensuring and coordinating participation in governance , you get scared,
with the people jostling for the positions.
On agriculture , the sector accounts for almost 90% of the
poverty being felt in Bungoma, yet it has all the potential to be the engine of
growth.
The cooperative movement, Malakisi ginnery,, Kitinda
dairy,Nzoia sugar company, have all had the strong involvement of political leaders while management was
almost entirely in the hands of daughters and sons of the county.
The same institutions have created a perfect environment for
the spiraling suffering of the residents making them “begging farmers” .
This is so, because the elected leaders , develop a tendency
of political tourist , and have no economic attachment to understand the
suffering of the people , what they go
through, and the possible solution.
Take the case of Nzoia with a debt portfolio of shs.26
billion, against asset value of shs.8billion, is insolvent, yet management top
brass is composed of sons of the county.
Nzoia is the only sugar factory under paying farmers for
delivered crop at shs.3,300 per ton, while other millers are paying above
shs.3,800, and the political class has not raised any finger.
Overall, corruption at the mill is at all times high, and
there is no department , where outright theft is absent, creating more
suffering for the farmers.
On pollution, before the closure of Pan African Paper mills,
residents – without any support of political leadership sought the intervention
of International Finance Cooperation- who were one of the big lenders to come
to their rescue on pollution related
concerns.
For years, the political class were in the good books of the
company executives, when residents of mainly Webuye, bore the impact of
pollution related effects, without recourse.
With trade, it remains a laughable affair, as no local owns
a business employing more than 5 people who are from outside the county .
All meaningful businesses are run successfully by what
locals call outsiders, and the elites from the community find it very difficult
to spot an investment opportunity.
The only majority businesses run by local
are investment in the hotel industry- yet the popular menu is alcohol .
The category of the hotels caters mostly for local tastes,
as it can not compare with the set standards, when you take remarks by
cooperative minister Joseph Nyagah, who said that Bungoma has no hotel he could
sleep in.
The very same elites, do not know other promising
opportunities, and hence do not know who is investing where, the returns and
likely impact on the economy- this
spells a disaster if they are given the mandate of running the show of
development.
The best case study for this purpose is the CDF, the
infrastructure in general are billed not to last at most not more than ten
years, yet they are the yard stick of development for most of the serving
politicians in their respective constituencies.
The political elites in Bungoma are scared of the people to
be involved in governance and are happy to have the monopoly of ideas to gives
directives without contradictions.
And this same people can not be entrusted with ensuring and coordinating the participation
of communities for participation in governance at the local level.
The take the case were everyone who is everybody somewhere,
declaring the need to contest which seat, is a clear indicator that poverty
alleviation is not part of the agenda.
The forums, which these very leaders use to declare their
interests, the discussions are about the revival of collapsed industries-
manifesting closed thinking and lack of innovations in their style of
leadership.
The leadership therefore, is about wanting to share posts,
and quietly retread to the safety of Nairobi, and occasionally
make technical appearance in functions and funerals to fulfill their egos.
