Daily Nation: Garissa's Blueprint for Success; Livestock, Railway & Mideast Loans

Garissa’s future is based on three tightly interwoven strands — livestock, a railway and the prospect of Middle East loans.

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To start with, an organised livestock economy is sure to bring in wealth.

It will be given a boost by the proposed Lamu-Juba railway line as a gateway to South Sudan and Ethiopia and the potential for exports that are sure to spur growth.

And then the Government’s decision to allow counties to negotiate for loans directly with foreign governments has enormous potential to create new roads, sewers and power lines for Garissa.

Both President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga overruled technocrats who had wanted to include a clause that would bar counties from sourcing money directly from overseas.

Those who, like Mr Kibaki, were there at Independence during the disastrous majimbo (federal system) experiment, know such a ban was one of the things which made it fail.

The law enacted then made it illegal for a jimbo to negotiate a loan without seeking a guarantee from the National Assembly.

The North Eastern jimbo was among those which suffered as Nairobi was suspicious of the Arabs fearing they and the Soviet Union would fund the Shifta rebellion.

But with Kenyans not wanting to be a part of chaotic Somalia, plus the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fear of a separate state is no longer there, and the counties will be free to negotiate their own loans as they see fit.

Here is how it will favour Garissa county and other Muslim counties in the North East.

They have good relations with all governments in the Middle East.

The tycoons of Garissa are in constant touch with their counterparts in the Arab states and they fly to the Middle East as frequently as Nairobians visit Mombasa.

Already, Saudi Arabia is funding a Sh900 million sewerage system in Garissa Town – an indication that even better things are on the way when the county is free to source its own loans from overseas.

Such a liberal law on borrowing is likely to make Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties negotiate loans singly or jointly with the Arab world.

They would create infrastructure, build industries, and help to lobby for investors, thereby creating wealth.

The livestock economy is based on the huge numbers of cattle and camels that might help to transform the county.

Will the future technocrats embark on building the required abattoirs, tanneries and dairies, as well as wine and fruit processing plants, and an international airport for flying the products to markets?

Garissa is one of the rare counties where the old and the young are thinking in tandem, when it comes to the economy and administration of the county.

“The proposed railway and road from Lamu to Juba should have come yesterday,” said Defence Minister Yusuf Haji.

“The proposed gateway to Sudan is an appetising prospect and we can’t wait,” he said. “It will transform us into an overnight producing and exporting county.”

Mr Haji’s excitement is shared by Gen (Rtd) Mahmud Mohamed, who believes the county must have a firm foundation with proper leaders who should think outside the box.

“We have every necessary resource in the county; we the old people should provide advice, and the youth should establish firm administrative systems to propel Garissa to a new age,” he said.

The proposed Garissa international airport will have the twin purpose of exporting cargo as well as taking commercial passenger flights.

Garissa Mayor Ismail Mohamed Garat is among the youthful leaders who are thinking of a rich future.

Mr Garat, 34, said: “We want to brand Garissa as the home of livestock where everything from a cow and camel will be exported from.”

Already, the Government is building a Kenya Meat Commission abattoir in Garissa that will handle local livestock instead of having to drive them all the way to Athi River.

Plans are underway to build a tannery to process hides and skins.

Are NEP's Youthful Leaders Engaging in Premature Triumphalism?

 I pose this question because The Standard's Boniface Ongeri & Isaiah Lucheli wrote a piece titled "Youthful Leaders Have Grand Plans for NEP."


Given that elections are a little over a year away, Somalis in NEP must now decide what sort of counties they want to live in. We could go on with the status-quo and remain retrogressive  in every economic and social indicator. Or, we could free ourselves from the shackles of clanism and actively set about creating the sort of society that other Kenyans envy and want emulate.


Great Societies are created by, among other things, the coming together of civic groups, educated youths, philanthropists and governments dedicated to working for their people. And for NEP, given all the decentralization the new constitution affords us, this is surely the moment. The chemistry is right.


What then is needed to get the chemistry going? We need educated leadership whose sole interest is driving up economic growth, reducing red tape and appropriating development funds where they will yield the best results while offering citizens the most convenience. Above all, we need leadership that will foster a sense of self confidence in Somalis and attract financial investment in our livestock industry and farmland along  The Tana. We need leaders who will promote education over illiteracy, self-sufficiency over perpetual dependence, cohesion over disenfranchisement and most importantly leadership that takes advantage of our religious, cultural and lingual homogeneity instead of dividing us into clans and sub-clans.


What we don't need is another politician who talks big but thinks small and our leaders have been the worst offenders when it comes to this.The season of aggrandizing politicians and derelict citizenry should be over.   Our current political leaders, with notable exceptions, are perhaps the least impressive in Kenya. They are pathologically incapable of seeing the big picture. Evermore relying on connections and bribery to maintain their seats while delivering nothing. They never preach self sufficiency or urge the Somali investor class to build their home province instead of putting billions into Eastleigh  and never bring to the floor legislation of any significance.


In the past ten years, Garissa has come far but we are still unable to take pride in our achievements because many of us consider them an ascent from jaw-dropping badness to mere mediocrity. This is why, I am pro-youthful leadership and an end to our decadent political system.However, for all the talk of "youthful" leadership, I have to say, besides Abdikadir Mohammed of Mandera, I'm yet to be impressed by any the so called youths. Garissa's mayor has been a big turn off for a lot people and has seriously undermined the youth agenda. His self-confidence has tipped into insouciance and neglect of duty. While he is not evil intentioned, most of his administration has been plagued by incompetence. Even failing in things as mundane as garbage collection.


The Standard quotes Khalif Abdi who gave an accurate diagnosis of why enthusiasm for youthful leadership is waning.

Some residents say certain youth elected into leadership roles have failed to meet expectations."They had the opportunity to prove to the skeptics that they were up to the challenge but some have been a big disappointment and embarrassment to the youth fraternity," Khalif Abdi Farah, the coordinator of Northern Forum for Democracy said.Khalif explains the difference between the old guard and the youth was that the elderly leaders were easily accessible and selfless, but the youth were selfish and poor managers."Some of the youthful leaders are already under probe for misuse of funds while others have accumulated questionable wealth and are living beyond their paltry pay," Khalif added

In conclusion, even though this is a boon time for youthful leaders, I would urge those seeking positions of power to not succumb to premature triumphalism. Pay attention to detail, convince us you are the right people for elected office, articulate your views without pandering to clan overlords, come up with manifestos that will get us drooling and go above and beyond in courting the votes of elders and youths alike. Finally, make sure you are educated and have an impeccable record as far as personal integrity is concerned. Trust me, nobody wants to unleash a bunch of half baked, khat addled youngsters on the public. If it means seeking non-glamorous positions such as becoming a councilor to gain legislative experience, do so. You'll be all the better for it! 


That's my two cents worth! 

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.

Billow Kerrow on the lack of Social Justice for Somali Kenyans

OPINION

Social justice for the people of northern Kenya is still a mirage

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By BILLOW KERROW

Posted  Wednesday, April 27 2011 at 18:46

In the past one week, the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) has been in North-Eastern Kenya getting a first-hand account of over 45 years of official neglect, deprivation and social injustice visited upon the residents by successive regimes.

The emotional outpouring by the residents has largely been unnoticed nationally, save for the media focus on the monstrous atrocities such as the Wagalla Massacre.

Brutal security operations continue unabated, and even as the Commission was being set up in 2008, security forces tortured and maimed several hundreds in Mandera.

Section 27(6) of the Constitution requires the State to take affirmative measures and policies to “redress any disadvantage suffered by individuals or groups because of past discrimination”.

However, the Commission should pay greater attention to the prevailing social injustice rather than being fixated on historical injustices.

This week, they will be in Mandera County that is reeling from the effects of the worst drought this decade.

Hundreds face death as a result of extreme hunger and thirst, while their economic livelihoods, namely livestock, continue to perish.

The government has a constitutional obligation to provide adequate food and water to all its citizens, without discrimination, among other socio-economic rights outlined in Section 46.

For the marginalised, Section 56 further mandates the government to provide infrastructure, such as boreholes, schools and health facilities as fundamental human rights.

As Indian writer and activist, Arundhati Roy argues, the assault on social justice has eroded its definition, made us lower our sights and curtail our expectations.

The notion of equality has undergone a process of attrition and eased out of equation.

He argues that these human rights violations are increasingly portrayed as unfortunate fallouts from an otherwise acceptable political and economic system.

The TJRC members’ mandate includes investigating the marginalisation of communities, and providing redress where necessary.

Will they order the government to immediately declare the ravaging famine in the region a national disaster and help halt the region’s march to devastation?

They are aware that the region’s youth cannot obtain identity cards due to official

The Kenya Human Rights Commission, in its 2009 publication titled “Foreigners at home – the dilemma of citizenship in Northern Kenya”, accuses the government of institutionalised discrimination on the itizenship of the residents through arbitrary denial.

Can TJRC urgently address this? Section 10 of the Constitution deems that social justice, equity and protection of the marginalised are national values that must be applied whenever State organs implement public policy decisions. Will the up-coming recruitment of 7,000 policemen be done equitably?

Section 232 on public service jobs demands that the State affords ‘‘adequate and equal opportunities and representation of diverse communities’’ in appointments, training and advancement.

Representation is best reflected through the regional, county or constituency population, which roughly mirrors our ethnic diversity.

Based on the 2009 census, and without the affirmative action “privilege” for minorities as proposed by Mr Orwa Ojodeh in Parliament, Nairobi would take 569 jobs, Central 795 Rift Valley 1,814 and North-Eastern 419 jobs.

This is arrived at by dividing the region or county’s population by the national population, and multiplying by the 7,000 jobs.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Bill 2011 is also in violation of Section 250 of the Constitution as regards the composition of the commissioners.

The section stipulates unequivocally that appointments to constitutional commissions and independent offices “shall reflect regional and ethnic diversity of the people of Kenya”.

The Bill suggests that five commissioners be appointed now, and four others in a year’s time.

Which region will play second fiddle to the other? Not North-Eastern, please!

Mr Kerrow, a former Mandera Central MP, is a political economist.

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It's Police Recruitment Season Again!

 This Wednesday, April 27, 2011 is another chance for the post-pubescent children of Garissa to run exceptionally long distances and do a lot of other meaningless physical activities in an effort to join The Police Force. This year, the soulless recruitment process will lock out a lot more applicants since the grade requirements have been raised from a D plain to a C plain.

We all have untoward preconceptions about the Police Recruitment system and deservedly so. Its cruel, corrupt and non-meritocratic. Finagling and God-father sponsorship are the paradigm that predominate in this process. However, NEP PC, Ole Sirian [accused of participating in the Wagalla Massacre], is promising a clean and  "ethnically" balanced recruitment drive.

He is quoted by The Nairobi Star to have said:

This time round it won’t be business as usual for those who like using shortcuts. Let’s totally avoid corruption of any kind when conducting this exercise and do it in a professional way,” “The issue of clans is a very big one in this region and so in places where we have more than one clan, you will have to make sure that you balance and make sure that you distribute the slots equally. This is meant to avoid creating the impression that the recruitment only favoured members from one clan,” he added.

To all those who want to join the ranks of the masters of emasculated beggertude, I wish you nothing but the best. Your prayers for secure jobs will be answered by cold and dull stares from the eyes of overweight DCs, OCPDs and psychotic APs.

Finally, if you see, hear or sniff any corruption, flip on ur cellphone camera/audio and send me the grainy videos.
 Good Luck and inform all those who want to try out!  Read full story here.

Law Designed to Keep Somali Kenyans Poor

NEWS

Archaic law linked to poverty in Garissa

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By ISSA HUSSEIN, ihussein@ke.nationmedia.com

Posted  Thursday, April 14 2011 at 20:06

The emergency law creating poverty in Garissa County, the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission has been told.

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The team heard that more than 9,000 cattle were confiscated by the state through an archaic law.

The law reportedly created concentration camps known as villages to curtail the movement of pastoralists and livestock found outside the camps were taken away.

Mr Dubat Ali Amey, a witness who spoke before the commission, said five camps known as ‘kijijis’ were created in Modogashe, Garissa, Balambala, Bura and Ijara between 1965-66 under the leadership of then PC J. J. Mburu.

“Anyone found outside the camps was declared a shifta, and was shot dead while his herd was taken to Kenya Meat Commission to make canned meat that was served to the security forces that conducted the deadly operation,” Mr Dubat said.

The witness said camels were shot dead since the security officers did not like the meat.

He said the move by the state resulted in widespread poverty in Garissa county.

A notorious concentration camp known as Jaribu was cited as one of the worst. There, nine officers also known as the Nine Brothers, reportedly used brutal acts to extract information from locals.

Officers from the Special Branch, Criminal Investigation Department and Kenya Wildlife Service, acting on the orders of then PC Mburu, allegedly tortured and killed anyone who did not cooperate.

The commission sitting at Garissa National Library heard that the officers working with Somalia bandits were involved in wildlife poaching.

“It is known to all the residents of Garissa Town that the 300 people killed in Garissa Gubay in 1980 was because of a bandit called Abdi Madowe who was a notorious poacher and a close friend of the security officers,” Mr Dubat said.

The commission was asked to refer to a 1980 Sunday Nation paper where then PC Benson Karia was quoted saying that for the death of one security officer, 100 Kenyan Somalis would die.

“Police officers killed with impunity,” Mr Dubat said in a lengthy testimony.

Worst High School's in Kenya

  Well, worst, isn't strong enough in this case. Its an indication of how bad things are, education wise, in this country. Some 60%  (213.438) of all candidates in last year's KCSE scored below a C-. Given the fact that the minimum acceptable grade to get into University is a C+, its not wrong to assume that 70% of all candidates who sat the test wouldn't even get accepted to a university. Not mention the fact that the curriculum is outdated, imparts no knowledge and doesn't prepare students for the rigours of post-secondary education but thats another blogpost.

You might be surprised to learn that most of the worst high schools in the country lie outside of NEP in places that are considered to have better resources. Out of the worst 50 schools in Kenya, Nyanza contributed 17, central had 10, 7 from Eastern, Coast had 6 and 5 from Nairobi. The Rift Valley had two schools in this category while NEP had just one school.

St. Marks High School of Central is officially the worst school in Kenya boasting an average of 1.58. Out of its 76 candidates, 39 scored E, 29 D- & 7D

Kyulu Sec of Eastern had a mean score of 1.64 with 10 E

Our very own Bute Girls rounded up the top 3 with 22E & 13D-

Guru Nanak of Eastleigh Nairobi, a profiteering Indian owned sham of a school that defrauds Somalis was ranked fourth with a mean score of 1.8 and a massive 18 E's. This school is well known to most of Garissians because of a lot of our boys & girls go there.

While this list does not provide enough information to form an educated opinion since its mainly composed of rudimentary outliers, I was a bit surprised  by the fact that NEP didn't feature prominently in this list. My deduction is that we have very few high schools per capita compared to other places and  that our weakest students are dropped off in lower grades. Furthermore, this indicates the lazy conflation that NEPians are OK with mediocrity might after all have some truth to it.

   Stories gleaned off from the Saturday Nation.

NEP's KCSE 2010 Results

  Recently released KCSE results for last year continue to depict the sorry state of the education sector in NEP with huge disparities between the province and the rest of the country. Furthermore, girls continue to lag behind boys at a disproportionate level, with this year registering only five girls in the top 100 positions compared to KCPE where there were at least 34 girls.
  While there are socio-economic reasons for the gross disparities between NEP & the rest of Kenya, its not fair to blame everything on these causalities. It will not be unjust if one said that students who choose to study Arabic, IRE & History should be expected to score an A in those subjects. That will boost their average by about 36 points. One of the reasons for us lagging behind other places is due to the current cadre of students who are nothing more than a bunch of disengaged, self entitled brats. Heavy drug abuse, disregard for teachers and a culture of illiteracy also play a role. This serves to alienate the very few students who are willing to work hard for their good grades and the even fewer teachers who are sincerely trying to impart knowledge.

I think its way beyond time for some soul searching & self flagellation. Time and again, students from NEP who go to national schools and national Universities perform at par with their classmates despite their background. That said, I would recommend to any parent or adult who has a child/younger brother/sister in school to read "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom,"  a book that  vividly describes the successes of a culture that puts a lot of emphasis on education and sees it as the only ticket to a better future. It's either that or we swap our schools for Madrassa's because they are certainly not generating any net value.

 I was willing to cut the primary kids some slack because they performed relatively better than their secondary counterparts but all in all, this is a disgrace.

 The top 10 candidates in the province were:

 Abdow Mohamed Osman (79.2)                                 Garissa High

 ABDIRAHMAN IBRAHIM ALI (78.9)                      Mandera Sec

 AHMED DEKOW MOHAMED  (                             Young Muslim

 HASSAN MOHAMED FARAH                                  Mandera Sec

 SULEIMAN BASHIR SALAH                                     Young Muslim

 MOHAMED ALI DAGOL                                          Mandera Sec

 MOHAMUD MUHUMED                                            Garissa High

ADEN ABDI DIIS                                                       Young Muslim

MOHAMUD IBRAHIM                                                Mandera Sec

ABDISHAKUR ABDISALAN                                      Mandera Sec

The best girl in the province was Raha Abdi Salah of NEP Girls ranked overall at position 22.
Mandera Sec School took 35% of all positions in the top 100 province wide.
Garissa High & Mandera Sec made up about 59% of all students in the top 100.

As soon as I get the time, I'll post the full rankings.

UPDATE





KCSE 2010

Raila & The KKK Don't Care About NEP: They're Political Opportunists

  Raila came to Garissa today and as usual offered nothing more than the typical vitriolic bluster that he spews everywhere he goes. What was supposed to be a political rally soon devolved into partisan bickering, ad hominem attacks and subpar vitendawilis. I think he didn't get the memo on our disregard for vapid hollow statements that are not followed by tangible action.

 Any individual with a triple digit IQ knows that neither Raila nor The KKK care about the legitimate needs and interests of Somali Kenyans (Nepians). Both are self serving political vampires mainly interested in gaining political leverage in our city and region through proxies (our MPs). Our lives have been made all the more miserable by a Government that is propped  up by ODM as the price for 'peace'. They did not deliver half the change they promised us in 2007. The fake under funded ministry they setup has failed to alleviate the human tragedy that is gripping Northern Kenya today. In short, they are all double faced liars and snake oil salesmen.

Raila like Uhuru, Kalonzo & Ruto presided over the arrest, rendition and torture of innocent Muslims. His partly owned government still refuses to buy our livestock while it buys bad maize grown in Central and Trans-Nzoia to save their tribesmen from losses. Its only in Garissa where policemen can, in broad daylight, rob you of your hard earned wealth and usurp your business. Its only in NEP where you can be arrested and beaten for not carrying your ID with you as was the case during the colonial era. Raila just like the rest of them stands for the continuation of these racist policies. His duplicity and  inconsistency with regards to the rights of Somali-Kenyans is well documented.

 What was missing from the Rally? For one there was no substantiative policy discussion, there were no overtures made to our region and none of our complaints (ID issuance, police harrassment, systemic marginalization) were addressed. We only saw our MPs capitulating to a Luo overlord who offered no vision just vile personal attacks. Now don't get me wrong, I despise Ruto and all those who agree with his ethnocentric politics equally, I just don't see how telling us that 'Uhuru is a bhang addict'solves any of our problems.

 All those who attended today's rally to applaud Raila's prejudices and listened while he fanned the flames of hatred are not any better than those trained seals that beat the drums for the flip-side of this coin, The KKK.
Finally, any of you retarded tribalists that may think I have a vested interest in any of the issues discussed above, I do not. I just want to see my people wake up from this coma.

Its time Dualle, Farah Maalim and the rest of our political class stopped being subservient to vivisectional foreign interests. They should form their very own political movement and prudently chose who to support in the General election, if they do not wish to field their own Presidential candidate. The current divisions will lead to another tribal bloodshed in Garissa. The government has had its Jackboot on our throats for 47 years, time to vote for our own president!

Oh, those who jeered and heckled speakers were just classless goons-for- hire deployed by our so called MPs.
Here is a video of their visit to Marsabit on Monday;

The Disconnect between ODM & NEP

 Ibrahim Rashid , a political and development analyst, has an editorial in The Standard on how ODM failed to live up to its promises in NEP and how its fast losing any semblance to a political movement for all. He also touched on the prospects for economic and political development in this vastly under-developed region.

Here is an excerpt from the piece

  The party is talking of elections while its electors are dying from hunger and thirst.Which                                           of these starving voters will still be around to cast their ballots and occupy the ODM offices in the region?For North Eastern, the priority cannot, and must not be party elections. Their undying prayer is finding     persons, or  political party, ready to implement and operationalise Article 43(1) where every person has the right (c) — to be free from hunger, and to have adequate food of acceptable quality; 43 (d) — to clean, safe water in adequate quantities.Even then, ODM cannot claim to conduct grassroots elections countrywide while its Secretariat and/or Election Board is not reflective of Kenya’s regional representation as required by both political norm and the new Constitution.The party has also short memory of how it has failed to equitably share the half loaf of bread (nusu mkate) of the Grand Coalition Government and quickly shortchanged those who bore the greatest responsibility in the reform crusade since Jaramogi’s Not yet Uhuru of 1966 to Raila’s Free at Last, last year.

             You can read the full editorial here