Failure to repair airstrip haunts 11 MP aspirants

 

Residents of Bonchari have for the past 20 years been unhappy with local leaders because of their failed promises to renovate a local airstrip.

And as we head into the August 8 elections, Suneka Airstrip has taken centre stage in the campaigns for Bonchari constituency.

There was hope that the airstrip would start functioning when renovations finally started three years ago.

However, despite government promises that it would be elevated to international standards, there is no end in sight for the renovations.

The airstrip has now come to haunt 11 parliamentary candidates, who include the incumbent, Zebedeo Opore of Jubilee.

During a public debate at a Kisii hotel, attended by all parliamentary candidates except Opore, residents accused local leaders of being reluctant ton renovate the  airstrip.

The debate was organised by the Bonchari Citizens Council (BCC) to give the candidates an opportunity to state their vision for the constituency.

The candidates were also given a chance to engage with the public and respond to people's concerns.

Kenya Social Congress candidate Charles Mogaka said renovation of the airstrip would require fresh mapping.

"We cannot just start renovating the airstrip because there is not enough land to expand it," Mogaka said, noting that the Government had allocated funds for the project.

ODM candidate John Momanyi said: "The project requires goodwill from the community leaders and sincerity from the national government. We cannot be talking about the same project for all that time, yet similar works have been undertaken elsewhere."

It also emerged, during the debate, that the area is not well represented in the national government and that this could have compromised local development.

Records from BCC show that no one from the constituency has been considered for the more than 200 senior appointments in the Government, including Cabinet and principal secretaries.

The research by Mmedia personality Sorobi Moturi also indicated that only one person from the constituency had been appointed to the position of county commissioner and another one to a county director in the county government.

The report also shows that no one from the constituency has been appointed among the 200 parastatal chiefs.

"It is the senior technocrats who make most of the critical decisions, including resource allocation, employment, and general development. The fact that the government has not appointed such people from our area is a great disadvantage to us. It affects service delivery and general growth of our region," said Momanyi.

BCC's reports also noted that the youth constitute about 70 per cent of the area's population while unemployment stands at 80 per cent.

Undermines peace

"This leads many into undesirable behaviour, which undermines peace, security, and general development. Because of the high unemployment rates, Bonchari is famous for being the home of the dreaded Sungu Sungu vigilante," says the report.

BCC chairman Saisi Marasa said the poor representation of the area in both the national and county governments must be addressed urgently.