BUREAUCRATIC TURKANA TO BLAME FOR POVERTY, HUNGER DEATHS

We must blow up those redundant ideas holding people from progressing

I love to say this: solutions (no matter their complexities) are with the people. What impedes their extraction - and which remains a humongous obstacle - is the absence of a will and the needed stamina (not essentially monetary) to make this a reality. 

Allow me to drive the point home. The alarm bells ringing up north, and particularly in Turkana County, can be silenced once and for all. Poverty and hunger deaths over there can be stopped.

But wait, something doesn't add up. The other day I received an email from a Lodwar-based friend of mine lamenting about the increasing number of street children in major towns along the Kitale - Lodwar - Juba highway. The so called village-towns of Kainuk, Lokichar, Lodwar, Kakuma and Lokichoggio are now famous for one thing - their surging numbers of destitute populations - street children, prostitutes, drunkards, jobless youth, widows et cetera. 

For this group, life is uncertain, the future unknown. This is neither good nor bad. It just is, like gravity. Yet the task remains: how can we pull them up the economic, political and social order? 

But before reaching there, let me lead you down the processing line that churns out the final product that is destitute, poor, hungry population. 

To major on this suffering mass is to miss the point. The underlying problem is bigger than the number of destitute populations I have listed above. The enemy of the people is the disjointed, late and bureaucratic intervention of those entrusted with decision making and "leading the way." This is the typical antithesis of the needed development to free the people from hunger and poverty. 

Let me peel this hot potato for you. Turkana County is a major recipient of government and donor funds. In fact, if development was to be measured by the concentration of non-governmental organizations Turkana County would win the contest - square, clear and clean! 

Grab your pen and note this down: This year alone The County Government of Turkana was allocated close to Ksh 10 billions. Each of the six constituencies in the county received on average of about Ksh 70 millions as Constituency Development Funds (CDF), giving us a total of about Ksh 420 millions. 

The county hosts a retinue of donor organizations each with a budget of not less than Ksh 100 million for "development". 

Just look at this. In education sector alone, there exist bursaries from CDF, Tullow Oil, The Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, World Vision Kenya, Child Fund, Share International, Government of Kenya bursary through the Education Office, Jomo Kenyatta Foundation and County Government. 

Which beggars the questions: why do we still see bare-chested kids dotting our streets when they are supposed to be in school? Why should our mothers trek for kilometers in such of water? Why, why, why?

Clearly, there is a big cancer here. It is deliberately caused by a clique of well-connected chaps to keep the sons and daughters of Turkana in perpetual state of poverty. It is a classic case of an enemy within.

With all those taxpayers’ and donor billions one will be excused to believe that at least the basics – plus education and health have been achieved.

Have a look at all the “development” committees – from village committees to county ones and you will know where the rain started beating us. Times have changed but the thinking and philosophies guiding these peoples’ forums are still the same. Recycling seems to be the only qualification for constituting these committees.

You see, to bestow the future of a community to same old, fixed-minded bulldogs whose greatest stride is to “prune any competing twig” is to strangle generations and deny them of their lifeline.

But I believe something can be done. We must seal this bottomless pit that consumes peoples'  mali. Those briefcase NGOs must be asked the hard questions. Those blood-sucking cartels must be eliminated.

And this is the little I can contribute toward achieving this: The County Government of Turkana should, as a matter of principle, craft and effect a framework through which all development stakeholders should work. It must lead by example - let it move from the comfort of Lodwar offices to where services are needed most.

Meanwhile, they must purchase water drilling machines, deploy them to the grassroots, scale down that redundant pro-starehe bureaucracy and you will see people-centric results.

And in the words of Roald Amundsen; "Victory awaits him who has everything in order - luck people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck." 

Will Turkana emerge victorious? Is it time for the sons and daughters of Turkana County to drink from the cup of happiness and abundance?

Twitter: @mlemukol.