Kwale: Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi Thursday started a three-day meet-the-people tour of Kwale County where he decried the high levels of poverty in the region.
“The last time I was here, Kwale leaders brought up various development issues. I want to get feedback on whether the situation has changed or not and therefore what we can do together to push that agenda,” said Mudavadi.
“Uppermost Kwale is among the top ten poor counties in Kenya with an index of 70%. Whatever else we do therefore, we must work to pull Kwale out of poverty. As a matter of fact, other than Mombasa and Lamu, all the counties in Coast region are in the top ten poorest counties in Kenya,” he added.
Mudavadi told the people that though he is not government, he would discuss with leaders in the county on what the long term solutions should be, with elections being less than two years away.
“Other than Vihiga County, I consider Kwale my second home. In the last elections, Kwale provided me with the second largest number of elected MCAs in the entire country. I am therefore obviously here to build on that goodwill as we prepare for 2017 as ANC,” said Mudavadi.
The ANC leader was addressing 60 officials if the Kwale County Elders Council and each registered into ANC. Kaya elders’ leader Abeid Mtsumi led other elders in blessing Mudavadi for his sober approach and message of peace.
“You are of course aware that the Jubilee government runs a policy of exclusion in the management of national affairs, the economy is on a free-fall and it is reluctant to fully implement devolution. They keep getting it wrong, and will be time come 2017 to show them how to get it right,” hesaid.
The former Vice-president and deputy prime minister said the recent increase in taxes was deliberately meant to punish the poor because they don’t have a voice in decision-making. Reluctance to implement devolution has dire consequences for Coast and Kwale in particular. Devolution was supposed to solve the land issue but you realize that the government does not want NLC to work as required by the constitution. When the government wants to remove the powers of NLC over land, it is in fact denying the people of Kwale the right to decide on matters of their land.
“I am aware that for many years, local people are unable to acquire title deeds. But for some others, it is quite easy. The personal vigour the President took to strike a deal with Waitiki at taxpayers’ expense should be applied to other land problems in the coast region. The government should be fair and apply the same vigour is solving the landlessness. Many of them are squatters on their own ancestral land and government should not wait for this land to be bought off in order to issue titles to new owners”, he said.
Mudavadi said the issue of land ownership is also the cause of violations of rights. He said devolution was meant to help local people participate and benefit in the use of their natural resources.
He cited issues related or arising from Ramisi sugar (KISCOL) factory, Cashew Nuts factory, rights in the mining of base titanium, Dongokundu bypass as well as human/wildlife conflict in Shimba Hills Game Park.
