The push by Mt Kenya for State House goodies misses the point

For some leaders to accuse the President of not rewarding the region that voted overwhelmingly for him and of “taking development" to regions that did not vote for him is a vainglorious attempt at dividing Kenyans.

This is precisely the kind of politics we hoped that the March 9 handshake would cure.

It not only waters down the spirit of the handshake but also demonstrates shallow understanding of the concept of devolution.

The truth is that with the onset of devolution, all communities became equal. This is as it should be, seeing that we all contribute to this country’s prosperity by faithfully paying our taxes.

We always have, but for a long time there has been unequal sharing of the national cake. This is what devolution and the handshake sought to end.

While devolution took power away from the centre to the counties, the handshake sought to end the winner-takes-all model of politics that fuelled the clamour for power by all means - including violence. 

If anything, the leaders from Mount Kenya who are demanding more goodies from State House are directing their misplaced sentiments at the wrong person.

If indeed there are no development projects in the region, then the area must look within. Its leaders must stop looking for a scapegoat in the President for their own failures.

The Constitution envisaged a country where it did not matter anymore where the president came from; where no region needed to send a delegation to State House to petition for development.  Under devolution, all counties took charge of their own destinies, choosing their own development priorities and driving their own development agenda.

As soon as devolution kicked in, the power to drive every region’s development agenda shifted from the president to elected leaders in the counties. The Mt Kenya leaders must therefore stop lying to the people that by virtue of being their son, the President has the power or in obligated to bring ‘goodies’ from State House.

It is this kind of mentality that our Constitution and the March 9 handshake sought to end.

Still, the leaders who feel that Mount Kenya region has been marginalised by the current administration may be right and genuine. After all, like all other areas, millions of people in the region that is endowed with vast resources live in debilitating poverty.

No one is saying here that the region does not deserve its share of the national cake. Far from it. Like all regions, it forms a vital part of our country’s shared wealth and destiny. Indeed, the region has played and continues to play a pivotal role in the history of this country.

But its leaders must understand that the President is a symbol of national unity. He belongs to all Kenyans, to all regions.

As such the few leaders who now want to play to the gallery after the handshake burst their political bubble must be called out.