Samburu leaders reject Jubilee, vow to support Mudavadi in 2017 elections

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi on Wednesday held a consultative meeting with leaders from Samburu County at the party's headquarters in Nairobi.

The delegation of 50 grassroots leaders said the community will no longer be in Jubilee and will also not join the proposed pastoralist party.

They said they had opted for ANC because the party advocates for inclusivity and cohesion, and prioritising devolution that gives Samburu hope for a better future

"We know you as the architect of devolution. It cannot fail with you at the helm", said Mr Peter Lekisaat, a former district officer and councillor from Samburu North, who headed the team led by Hussein Leparmareng from Samburu East, Christine Leparselu from Samburu Central and Simon Letole.

They vowed that Samburu community's entire voting block had decided to join ANC and support Mudavadi's presidential bid in 2017 general elections.

They said the decision of Samburu to join ANC was because of Jubilee's failure to honour many development promises and neglect of development needs in their region. The leaders claimed that successive governments have always neglected members of the Samburu community.

"We are always overlooked and our cousins the Masaai of Narok and Kajiado favoured. Decades old challenges afflicting our community have remained unattended; Water scarcity in Kainuk, Nakweny, Nyiro and Ndoto areas, the endless bloody conflicts between the Samburu and the Pokot people in Samburu West, rampant insecurity in Samburu Central due to land conflicts, and poor and impassable roads especially neglect of the road connecting Laikipia and Samburu counties", said their memorandum read by Christine Leparselu from Samburu Central.

Mudavadi who is scheduled to tour the county assured the leaders of his commitment to work with them alongside all other Kenyan communities towards winning next year's general elections and transforming governance and ethnic harmonization to ensure a peaceful, united and prosperous country.

He promised to work extra hard to give hope to the Samburu and other marginalised communities to ensure they get requisite infrastructure, water supply, social amenities and security like the rest of the country.