When President William Ruto stands to deliver his Madaraka Speech at the brand-new Wajir Stadium today, he will be standing in the annals of history. No doubt it will be a bar too high for any president who comes after him. It will be the first time since Independence that a sitting president presides over a function to mark the country's independence in the former Northern Frontier Districts.
Neglected by previous regimes, which made the region lag in almost all facets of life, the day brings hope, a renewed sense of optimism and a moment of great joy. It is a day when the ‘Other Kenya’ shakes off the tag, and a moment that I hope will bury the resentment of the people of the North. For many of us, it brings memories of our childhood days, when we anxiously waited for copies of the president’s speech to be delivered and read by the District Officer.
For the people of Wajir, seeing the low-flying Kenya Air Force march will bring a sight that was a preserve of the few to the masses. For the people of Wajir and the wider North, this year’s Madaraka Day celebration will be a moment to cherish.
For a region that has borne the brunt of marginalisation, the move by the President and his administration is a step in the right direction. While the national celebration will not feed the hungry, heal the sick or bring about overnight transformation, it heralds a new dawn. Already, the excitement and hope generated arguably make Ruto the best president the people of the North have ever had.
As much as it is about politics, for anyone who cares about the North, this day will no doubt go down as the day real emancipation happened for the people of the North. It will be a day to celebrate and rejoice, and for sure, for Northerners in the crowd at Wajir Stadium, the feeling will be one of great excitement.
For the people of Wajir, the day has come with good things, including serious infrastructure and a facelift for Wajir town. The day is a culmination of great efforts by the Ruto administration; it is a day to celebrate development and one that has the potential to spark real development in the wider North. Moreover, I hope this day serves as one that will put the dark part of massacre and heal the wounds of repressive regimes.
For the people of the North, the day should be a moment filled with goodies that have eluded the region since the country gained independence. It is my sincere prayer that Ruto's administration will see through its main flagship project in the region.
Pulling off such an event successfully will also serve as a new model of the two levels of government working together. It brings to the fore the question of devolution. It shows that good leadership at the county level can attract huge investment from the national government. In this regard, I would like to congratulate in advance Governor Ahmed Abdullahi and his administration for their firm belief in this project.
Away from the fanfare, there will be real issues that need to be fixed. Compared to the rest of the country, poverty levels in the North remain the highest, with several counties reporting over 60-80 per cent of residents living below the poverty line.
While the current administration's efforts are welcome, the people of the North are confronted with many challenges, including persistent droughts that threaten their very livelihood as the region's population largely relies on pastoralism. The region's infrastructure makes travelling by road a nightmare and its schools are the worst in the country.
Poor governance is the elephant in the room. Despite billions from the exchequer pouring into the counties, devolution is not working as expected; and Constituency Development Fund coffers are mismanaged.
For the masses, their hope is that the day comes with sustainable development, not just in Wajir but in the wider region. However, it is time that the masses acknowledged that real development can only come when they vote for good leaders. It is imperative for the population and the leadership to unite for development.
It is my hope that we pull off this great day with peace and celebration that befit it.
The writer is a former journalist
