Minority communities demand share of State jobs

By Silah Koskei

West Pokot, Kenya: Minority communities from the Rift Valley have come out to demand their share of Government jobs, insisting they also supported the Jubilee coalition in last year’s polls.

Leaders from the ethnic Sengwer, a minority community in West Pokot, have complained about neglect, saying the Government has failed to recognise them in public jobs.

They said their community is not represented in either the county assembly or national government, to their disadvantage as most of their concerns have not been addressed.

Speaking to The Standard, Sengwer Council of Elders Chairman Dickson Rotich noted that attempts by the group to voice their concerns have been unsuccessful because of a section of political brokers who want to stifle their demands.

He added that the group wants to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to express their resentment over the manner in which they have been deprived of slots in the Government.

“We want to meet them so that we can clearly understand why we have been sidelined for so long yet we are true Kenyan citizens,” he said.

Mr Rotich said they handed a memorandum containing demands from the community to Ruto following his recent visit to West Pokot and are optimistic he will come to their rescue.

He said in the past, the community, whose population is over 35,000 following the recent national census, has been pressing for the creation of a district but their attempts have been futile.

“Some political bigwigs worry that if we are given a district, we may become influential and change the leadership landscape,” Rotich added.

Council Secretary John Powen said they have encountered myriad challenges due to lack of administrative representation in Government.