Ukambani’s three governors agree to work together

By PAUL MUTUA

Kitui, Kenya: Ukambani leaders recently held a joined meeting where they agreed to engage in joint development ventures in the region.

 The meeting held at Kitui’s Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri) in Kitui town brought together the region’s three governors, their deputies, assembly speakers and members of county assemblies.

The leaders sat together to take stock of progress made in developmental matters, one year to the counties existence.

The governors, Alfred Mutua (Machakos), Julius Malombe (Kitui) and Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) agreed that there is a deliberate effort by several people to undermine devolution, and that they must come together to create a forum that will champion the region’s agenda.

The governors proposed the formation of the Ukambani Leaders Development and Devolution Forum with an annual rotating chairmanship. Dr Malombe was elected the pioneer chairman.

REGION’S UNITY

The key agenda of this forum will be to pool resources together, champion the rights of the Kamba people, and push for more resources for the region from the national government, which they accused of devolving resources in piecemeal.

Some of the areas the three counties have set out to develop together include energy, water, education, roads construction, sustainable food production and bringing together the Kamba people.

Dr Mutua, Malombe and Prof Kibwana made a declaration that they will not be pulled into meaningless political feuds by those out to scuttle the region’s unity for selfish interests.

GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY

The Forum, according to the three governors, will increase accountability as they will be required to give an annual score card on the progress of their counties vis-a-vis resource utilisation.

Mutua challenged the Kamba people to allow the three governors to sit down with President Uhuru Kenyatta and petition for more resources for the region, arguing that doing so does not in any way amount to denouncing their political inclinations or loyalty to the region’s geopolitics.

 “Time has come for us to stop being poor and generate wealth. We can only do this if we are united,” the Machakos governor said.

Kibwana said with this kind of partnership, the Kamba people will no longer be ignored as has been the case in the past. He said the forum will provide a launch pad for great things in the region.

“When we come together, we can achieve much for we each have different strengths. Malombe is a strategist, Mutua a go-getter and I am an intellectual,” he said.

Malombe echoed the sentiments of the two leaders, saying it is important for people of Ukambani to unite for the good of the region.