We need to abolish provincial administration, increase decentralisation

A section of the Mau forest.

One of the more common excuses given by politicians to convince us to vote for “our own” is that if “our” Big Man is in power, then we “his” people stand to benefit.

Our children will get jobs in the government; and resources—stolen or legitimate—will trickle down to the villages as mansions and castles are constructed. Indeed the middle classes of “our people” benefit, often hired in top jobs without proper qualifications.

Those with silky tongues become favored tenderpreneurs and supplies of air.  

But too often the weakest, poorest, and most marginalised of “our people” do not benefit from this tribal patronage. Thus, the poorest people of Mt Kenya region remain squatters and landless despite the regimes of Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and now Uhuru Kenyatta.

The landless among the Kalenjin remain paupers, begging for crumbs despite Daniel arap Moi’s 24 years, and the immense power and patronage wielded by William Ruto.

Until recently, these poorest and most marginalised could do nothing but plead. A culture of “tunaomba sirikali” was deliberately cultivated as that ensured a weak and disempowered citizenry at the mercy of the leaders, and who could even be used to kill and pillage as with the State-sponsored ethnic clashes in the Rift Valley in the 1990s, and the post-election violence in Eldoret, Nandi, Nakuru and Naivasha.

But things are changing as the weakest learn to stand up and demand — not beg — for their rights. Devolution has played a huge part in this growing shift. So much so that even though Kenyatta and Ruto and their acolytes can barely hide their distaste for devolution, it is irreversible. This regime’s default setting is centralisation of everything — which has now been extended to ICT — to ensure that they can punish and reward as they see fit. And of course it means there is more to loot!

In the Rift Valley, once weakened and demoralised IDPs have regained their collective voice demanding that promises are fulfilled. They have learned to march and make demands peacefully and refusing to be silenced. And they have learned how difference between the elected County Government, and the arrogance and brutality of the still colonial-mentality provincial administration.

In 2015, frustrated evictees from Mau Forest who had been promised compensation but had been left to rot in IDP camps in Kusumek and Chebugen in Bomet decided to organise themselves and walk about 40km to Bomet town to highlight their plight.

More than 500 elderly people walked over two days, facilitated by InformAction, which does community organising at the grassroots, and with support from the Church which provided sanctuary, food and water.  

In Bomet town, the IDPs got a hostile reception from the County Commissioner who threatened to beat the IDPs. In contrast, then Governor Isaac Ruto received them warmly, provided lunch and transport back. And he reminded the IDPs that Kenyatta and Ruto had still to fulfill their promise to compensate them in 100 days.

Within two weeks, Mr Ruto was in Bomet giving out compensation to the IDPs! Unfortunately the compensation was implemented through the Special Programmes Department of national Government which resulted in the inclusion of non-deserving people, and the exclusion of real IDPs, as always happens when national Government implements.  

And just this month, Mau Forest IDPs who had settled at Jobo Farm, on the border of Kisumu and Kericho in 2013, decided they had had enough begging for title deeds, which had been promised the 148 families settled there. So they decided to march the 36km to Kericho town.

But after walking more than half-way, they encountered the agents of the national Government. Deputy OCPD Nathan Sanya tried to stop the group from walking into Kericho town claiming he was not notified. The law speaks of notification to the OCS not OCPD.

When his legal illiteracy was exposed, he resorted to force and arrested Rev Philemon Rotich of the ACK Church that provided refuge to the IDPs, Tirop Kitur and Daniel Aol of InformAction who were accompanying the IDPs. The three were later released without charge upon the intervention of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

In Kericho, the IDPs received different receptions from the County Government and the County Commissioner. The latter decided to lecture and threaten the group while the Deputy Governor received the group well, provided transport back, and apologised for mishaps. She promised to follow up on the title deeds and some health concerns, and in three days later a County team of health workers was dispatched to Jobo farm!

It is clear that the provincial administration’s role has not changed since colonial rule. It is an agent of repression and arrogance. Removing it would save resources for other purposes, but importantly, if we are to survive and move forward we need to end this system and increase decentralisation.