Political Leaders Contribute Immensely To People's Marginalization

Some of us who confront, (and write about) the many challenges attributed to marginalization in Kenya's pastoralist-dominated areas have no doubt declaring that political leaders in these regions play a great role in people's marginalization. 

I agree with those who debunk myths claiming that marginalization in Kenya is centrally a material issue. Many narratives tend to deconstruct the whole issue and project it as lack of schools, lack of water and so on, while excluding the human weakness masquerading as community leadership. 

While it's true these goodies are non-existent or in short supply, I am of the view that the biggest promoter of marginalization resides in the minds and spirits of (political) leaders of our pastoralist brothers and sisters. 

There is a reason why I solidly hold onto this view. Marginalization in Kenya has different interpretations. To the (shrewd) NGO-type, marginalization is a conduit through which funds pass. To the political class, marginalization is a philosophy that unites "saviours of the people" and leadership positions.

Take a look; you easily clinch a political position in these regions by first working with NGOs. All you need is this: "share" in the pain of the marginalized by giving them goodies and voila; you become the "leader of the people"! 

Just google the professional trajectories of those calling shots in these regions to know where they came from. A good number of them were former NGO top honchos.

It's therefore evident that marginalization is more beneficial than detrimental to those charged with responsibilities to crush it. 

It’s no crime working with NGOs and then get elected as a leader. We should tap into the expertise of these people to improve our collective thinking. What deserves condemnation is the clear let-down (vis-à-vis positively impacting local populations) that betrays the financial muscles and connections that characterize these offices.

Either the system is modeled in such a way that blurs any attempts to recreate the wheel or there exists a total disconnect between those charged with these responsibilities and the work they do. Either way, the sufferance of the marginalized continues.

There is another interesting point. Nomads' leaders must learn to do their political nomadism cleverly. With all due respect, pastoralists' leaders have lowered themselves to "professional cry babies" with no clear roadmap for their people. They dwell in repetitive interventions that have failed to correct that which they seek to correct now.

Take a look at the many declarations in the recent Pastoralists' Leaders Forum held in Narok. They missed one crucial point: tackling their own marginalization of the mind. 

For how long shall we be brain-fed even in the basic things that touch the lives of our people? Isn't political patronage predicated on the robustness of a leader to push for inclusion of his/her people's interests in the national narrative?

There is an issue here. Development is akin to a "gift", not a right to these people. Government is viewed as a benevolent body that dishes out development to who it likes. State officials are elevated to levels of demigods with endless streams of development cash.

Here, I blame not the population. It is also a victim of a myopic, strategy-poor leadership. The culprit is the political class - yes, those representing these cow herders in Nairobi. 

No, education (or lack of it) is not the problem, either. There is no (political) will to confront issues. There is too much self-interest clouding noble, people-oriented interventions. 

We must stand with the truth. There is liberation in truth. Political leaders must stop contributing to people's marginalization. They must be at the fore-front in the fight against marginalization. Only this can change the face of northern Kenya.

Is devolution the right platform to effect this?

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email:  lemoseh89@gmail.com.  Twitter:  @mlemukol.