Garissa-Mandera Highway: Why I Don't Believe in that Anymore

I will admit to being a jaded skeptic when it comes to government led development in North Eastern. But one need not be a seasoned cynic to shrug at the mere mention of a Garissa-Mandera Highway. No politicians comes to NEP without mentioning it. No local power hungry tribalist crank runs for office without invoking it.
Yet, despite all the lip service, this project has never gotten off the ground. This's why  I'm not impressed this time round when Yusuf Haji drapes himself in "Saudi Labianism"  and talks about the shovel readiness of this infrastructure project.

I remember, as a sixth grader less than a decade ago, following politicians on the campaign trail and hearing all the great things they promised to do for the residents of NEP. They talked about this highway, about building leather factories, irrigation schemes. They talked about building better schools and mobile clinics.

It's not just that they haven't done any of those things. The more important thing is that our own politicians have not fought for this highway and more bizarrely have continued to campaign for the same people who've lied to us for two generations now.

Its like we have a natural affinity for disappointment. The more our corrupt political elites piss on us, the more subservient we get.

I am sorry to have disappointed you Mr. illiterate Minister. I just don't believe in you and its getting painful seeing an old ass like you pay homage to this deadbeat project.  

The Standard: Saudi Arabia Loans Kenya Sh 1.6 Billion for Garissa--Mandera HIghway

Saudi Arabia loans Kenya sh1.6b for road construction

Updated 20 hr(s) 13 min(s) ago

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By Athman Amran

The Saudi Government has approved an over Sh1.6 billion loan to Kenya for the construction of the 146km Nuno-Modagashe road that will run between Garissa and Mandera towns.

Saudi Ambassador to Kenya Ghorm Said Malhan said the Saudi government is also set to give Kenya another Sh1.2 billion to fund five power projects. Adding that the money would be sourced from the Saudi Fund for Development.

The ambassador was speaking during the marking of the 80th anniversary of the Unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday evening.

The total construction of the Nuno-Modagashe road is estimated at Sh8 billion with a total of Sh5.36 billion to be procured from loans from the Saudi Fund, the Kuwait Fund, the OPEC fund and the Abu-Dhabi Fund.

The first phase of the project was expected to begin in Garissa last year.

Malhan said most of Saudi assistance to Kenya is directed towards development of infrastructure, water, irrigation and agriculture. He said the power projects will be done in five different locations in the country.

"Delegations from the Saudi Fund for Development visited Nairobi twice this year to upraise rural projects in Kenya," Malhan said.

The ambassador also said that the Saudi Government contributed 200 tonnes of assorted food and another 200 tonnes of dates to assist Kenyans affected by famine.

Defence minister Yusuf Haji said Kenya will continue to have good relations with Saudi Arabia, which he said is host to over 20,000 Kenyan workers, including both professionals and domestic workers among others.

"The Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia remit about Sh1 billion annually to Kenya," Haji said.

Sh. 1 Billion Allocated for Irrigation Projects in NEP.

 In his budget speech, Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, unveiled a Sh. 1 billion plan aimed at alleviating extreme poverty and hunger in NEP by placing 5575 acres of land under irrigation. The minister projects the scheme will help an estimated 34 000 Nepians directly (and possibly hundreds of thousands indirectly.)

The Minister has also set a side Sh. 425 million for the purpose of setting up additional slaughter houses in Arid areas and a further Sh. 490 million for the establishment of a livestock fund.

74.. Our fellow Kenyans who live in northern Kenya have continued to suffer from conflict,hunger and famine, especially due to drought. To start a journey of building resilience and instituting a permanent source of livelihood, I have allocated Ksh.1 billion to be shared equally to initiate: (i) a 1,500 acres of irrigation at Rahole in Garissa; (ii) 2,000 acres at Abasweni in Wajir; and (iii) 2,075 acres of irrigation at Daua clusters in Mandera. When completed, these projects will benefit a total of 34,000 people of North Eastern who live in those areas.

Malkamarre Massacre in Mandera

  More details of the Moi regime's gross human rights violation in NEP are emerging. Survivors of the Malkamarre Massacre in Mandera described the horrific ordeal they went through at the hands of the Paleolithic tyrant [Moi] and his goons in1982.

 In scenes reminiscent of Nazi Germany, Moi's henchmen put victims in incarceration camps, murdered 332 innocent civilians, mutilated the bodies of the dead and the living, raped women and children and confiscated livestock worth millions of Shillings.

 If I remember correctly, 1982 is the year the glumpy faced pig of a leader, Daniel Moi, was saved from the guillotine by a Nepian by the name General Mahmoud. How dare he reward us with such tyranny?
Also, and I say this with no hint of 'qabaliya' or malevolence, weren't General Mahmoud and Moi  the Batman and Robin of the 80s? And why didn't the former stand up for his people?

Here is an excerpt from The Daily Nation's report;

More than 330 people were killed during the 1982 Malkamarre Massacre in Mandera, the Truth commission has been told.
Survivors, testifying before the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission at its hearings in Mandera Town, on Tuesday, said scores of people were also raped and maimed during the 1982 security operation.
Mr Issack Adow Abdi, 80, said they were rounded up by security officers hunting down bandits, beaten and some shot dead as they attempted to escape.
“I have not sired a child due to the painful torture I underwent as the officers mutilated my private organs,” Mr Abdi said.
The victims, he said, never sought legal redress, since the nearest law court was located some 400km from Mandera Town.
The commission heard that many, who witnessed the heinous acts, fled to Ethiopia and Somalia and decided not to return to Kenya.
Ms Dunia Abdullahi said many women were raped in Lulis, Banisa and Elmole in Mandera West District.
“Women in this area silently share the stories of how they were raped, some say they cannot hold back urine to date,” Ms Abdullahi said.
She said some of her relatives were killed while others fled to Ethiopia.
Asked by Commissioner Gertrude Chawatama if they could recall the officers who headed the operation, they said they only remembered a Major Halkano of the Kenya Army.
Victims of the Shifta war also recounted their ordeal before security officers put them in concentration camps.
“It was hell. We were pressed between two rocks — the shiftas killed, maimed and looted our property since we refused to join them while the Kenyan forces did worse instead of pursuing our tormentors,” Mr Guliye Mohamed said.

News of Interest

Kenya's new electoral constituencies are out and NEP has been assigned 6 new electoral units to amass a meagre tally of 17 new representatives in the post 2012 National assembly. The populous Mandera Central will be split into three constituencies while each of Dujis, Mandera West, Lagdera and Wajir East are to be split to a carve out a new unit. Sorry Wajir South.
You can read the full the story in its explosive glory as it appeared on The Standard here.
                                       ******************
The verbal dust up between Ruto and KNCHR commissioner Hassan Omar continues to unfold. This time round Muslim Human Rights Forum (MHRF) has called for Ruto's arrest for his irresponsible and illogical rhetoric with regards to the fake bribery controversy he  ginned up. Story is available here

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Finally, something rather interesting and strange popped up in my inbox yesterday. Apparently Deputy PM and grand corrupt-or (pardon my english) has nominated the people of Othaya, Garissa & Mtwapa  for a radical urbanization master plan. The video evidence can be found here.

What the cancelled census results mean for NEP.

By now everybody knows that this fascist petulant coalition government has decided to throw out census results from five constituencies in NEP. The ramification of this ill advised decision by the incompetent minister are far reaching and could severely curtail the influence of Somalis in all level of governance in the coming decades. It would also rob us of well deserved resources for another generation, maybe  more.

Census results are going to be used by the newly formed Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission to draw up Kenya's electoral map . By cancelling these results especially in the most populous parts of our province on intellectually dishonest grounds, this disgraced minister wants to deprive the people of NEP representation in the National Assembly come 2012.

Calculations derived from provisions included in the new constitution state that in sparsely populated regions, a constituency should have a population of between 93,197 and 170,079 people. Now if we use these figures to determine the number of new constituencies NEP should get, you'll be see why 'elites' are worried about our growing influence.

Lets breakdown & crunch the numbers for the five constituencies that were cancelled using the mean aggregate of the figures stipulated in the new constitution.

Mandera Central= 4 constituencies

Mandera West    = 3 constituencies

Mandera East     =  3 constituencies

Wajir        East     =  2  " "

Lagdera               =   2 "  "

Dujis                     =   3 "  "

Figures for Fafi, Wajir South, Wajir North, Wajir West and  Ijara have not been officially released yet but we all know atleast one of these constituencies has a population of over 200K hence  2/3 more constituencies to our impressive tally.   

After u add up the numbers, we will end up having between 22-25 constituencies in our province.  Thats what they want to take away from us. 

We have to stand up to this bullying and demand whats rightfully ours.

HAKI YETU! HAKI YETU! HAKI YETU!