Turkana leaders right to be angry, but not at Raila

Raila Odinga at the Turkana Cultural Festival on Friday, October 13, 2023. [Bakari Ang'ela, Standard]

The anger expressed by a section of Turkana leadership on Raila Odinga's visit on Friday was right but at the wrong person, wrong time, wrong place and on wrong issues.

It is necessary that leaders develop courage and learn to question their leaders, be they political or administrative leaders. For Turkana, they should know Raila should be the least of their problems as far as their issues are concerned.

When the Senate did a tour of duty there recently, it came back with a damning report. According to the chair of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, Moses Kajwang, Turkana is a crime scene. On inspection, the committee was confronted by tales of stalled projects, outright corruption and financial mismanagement.

Among the stalled projects was the county headquarters, which had had its budget varied severally, up to the tune of Sh800 million, with little to show for it. It would have been better if the stalled projects were those meant to alleviate the challenges of the people. We would rather be talking about stalled boreholes, roads and such. Now, these are things the leadership of Turkana should question their former governor, county assemblies, MPs and other leaders about.

To see an MCA or MP claim Raila is the source of their economic misfortunes amid these glaring failures is quite saddening. If they have issues with ODM or Azimio, then there are better forums. However, if they had decided that the Tobong Lore was the venue for speaking their truths to power, they had a whole range of substantive leaders, starting with the President and ending at their own feet.

It is for places like Turkana that devolution was actually introduced. Devolution was the long-awaited answer, and after 10 years and over Sh100 billion, there must be something to show.

That aside, barring Raila from addressing the crowd does not change a thing other than shaming the county. Over the past week, President William Ruto was in Nyanza, Kisumu, Siaya, Migori and Homa Bay counties, where he was received warmly despite the region holding divergent political views. Raila has attended events in Mt Kenya, and he was warmly received.

Raila was invited to the annual devolution conference in Uasin Gishu as a recognition of his role in pushing for devolution and was again given a fitting reception.

We are in an era where MCAs, MPs, senators, governors and even the President must answer back to the electorate directly. The time for political blame games is over.

In Turkana, it is time for Governor Jeremiah Lomurukai to account to the people for the close to Sh15 billion allocated for the 2023/2024 financial year as EACC peruses files for past mismanagement.

MCAs should play their role at the assembly as MPs and senators pull the strings in Parliament. Poverty is the enemy here and any leader of goodwill is an ally.

-The writer is anchor at Radio Maisha