My visit to Garissa and Wajir confirmed my fears and concern about the foundation of our beloved country, marginalisation of North Eastern province. The most affected areas being Infrastructure, Education, Health, Communication, Gross violation of Human Rights and Access to justice.
Although the subject of my adventure was access to justice it is inevitable to ignore other spheres of development. As recognised by the United Nations, access to justice is a necessary ingredient to alleviate poverty. However looking at citizens of North Eastern i must congratulate them for their 'never give up' spirit. A good example is the road from Garissa to Wajir which is terrible, and from the residents it is often impassable during the rainy season. Conversations with residents revealed that the road to Mandera is worse.
Why have successive governments ignored the vast potential that lies in improving infrastructure in Northern Kenya? The vast unutilised land could be used for irrigation schemes, that will attract investments and growth. However the best interests of pastoral communities living in Northern Kenya must be the primary consideration.
This is a question that the Proposed Constitution of Kenya aimed to address in proposing the inclusion of the Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Marsabit counties. The counties will go a long way in ensuring that the people of North Eastern take charge of their development priorities.
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