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A recent article full of hate, bigotry, blind criticism and outright lies has forced me to pen down this opinion regarding what Hon. Aden Duale has done for his people in not only his constituency but the larger Garissa county or what has he achieved apart from being vocal as said in regard to only defending the Executive.
Let me take you down memory lane with detailed facts of what one of the most celebrated sons of Garissa town has achieved since he was elected.
In 2007 General Elections, Duale vied on an ODM ticket – not to mention him being a darling of the former Prime minister- Duale won in what was described as Dujis constituency Tsunami. Immediately the truce between Raila and Kibaki was signed and MPs sworn in , Duale became the first member of parliament from North Eastern to be named as the Assistant Minister of Livestock, which to many came as a blessing. The moment Hon. Duale was sworn in, he embarked on a journey to implement one of the finest development blueprints that North Eastern Kenya has ever seen. This went in to different sectors including Education, Health, Infrastructure and Rural development.
EDUCATION
Prior to Duale being elected, education standards in Garissa were wanting and extremely low in terms of performance and even intake. There was shortage of teaching staff, schools didn’t have necessary infrastructure to perform well and equip the students well to sit for national exams. Enrollment was also at its lowest. Duale being a trained tutor, had deep passion for education and him being elected as the MP was a blessing in disguise for the education sector in Garissa. He immediately petitioned the government to employ more teaching staff for the schools in the region. Besides increasing the number of teachers, he provided books and other materials that necessitated learning in every single school in Garissa. Above all he constructed classrooms, science laboratories and libraries for secondary schools all over his constituency, not to mention that he built a girls secondary school and a primary school. Duale continued with expanding the education sector by upgrading the only tertiary technical institute in the region to a national technical institute. He increased bursary disbursement to cater for needy and bright students. The technical institute also became home to the largest ICT hub in North Eastern. With the help of USAID, he initiated a youth empowerment program that saw hundreds of youth benefiting from the grants and the free training programs.
ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Besides education, Duale became the first MP from Garissa since independence to construct more than a 100 kilometers of tarmac road and opening up markets for farmers and businessmen. This opened up the larger Garissa County to both local and foreign investors. Just the other day accompanied by the CS for water and irrigation Hon. Wamalwa, Duale opened the largest water supply infrastructure that will see hundreds of households enjoying tap water. He also initiated a program that saw farmers from his constituency benefit from fertilisers and water pumping engines for their farms. He also initiated the first veterinary program for pastoralists in the region that saw a huge improvement in animal health. In matters of health, Duale upgraded and provided for more space in the only provisional referral hospital in North Eastern Kenya. He also delivered the first university in the region that saw influx of students from all over the country.
On matters security, he was the only person, under his leadership, created an end to inter-clan clashes. He initiated peace talks and improved police operations by issuing new police chase cars for patrol. He helped the security apparatus in the county to get modern security equipment for border and town patrol.
Given all this, in 2013 Duale supported the Jubilee government in which he serves as the Majority Leader. It is fair to say that despite being on national television bashing the Opposition, Duale has achieved and done a lot for his constituents. The critics should only not focus on the individual’s character but at least appreciate all he has done for the people.
The swahilis say, Mgala muue na haki mpe. Its is safe to say that, Duale has to change his tactics of responding to the Opposition but his performance is honestly top notch.