Members of Parliament from the Northern Eastern region under the auspices of North Eastern Parliamentary Group caucus are seeking a Marshal Plan for the region to address decades of neglect and backwardness.
The legislators who were speaking at the end of a three-day retreat at a Mombasa hotel are demanding affirmative programmes for the region touching on crucial sectors like education, health, water, security and roads.
The leaders said they intended to develop a comprehensive master plan for the region that aligns with national development goals while addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties.
They said the master plan would serve as a strategic blueprint for economic growth, infrastructure development and social progress.
Farah Maalim the patron of the Parliamentary group fired the first salvo urging the national government to intervene and end decades of economic marginalization, neglect and exclusion that have denied residents their basic rights.
Maalim who is also the Dadaab MP said the leaders wanted a marshal plan that would culminate into a sessional paper that shall guide and shape national policy of the North Eastern region to realize its full potential.
“North Eastern region comprising Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties is an area neglected by successive regimes since independence in 1963 and we want a marshal plan that will redress the situation,” said Maalim.
Maalim, a former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, stated that the poor state of infrastructure, poor learning conditions, lack of electricity supply and insecurity has led to a sense of exclusion and disenfranchisement among the people of northern Kenya.
“Sixty-one years since Kenya attained independence from British colonial rule, the northern region has remained the poorest and most troubled and we need something akin to the Marshall Plan that helped Western Europe recover from the effects of World War II and brought extensive investments,” he said adding that the region needs targeted economic uplift.
He said the elected leaders from the region would continue to advocate for increased investments in sectors such as infrastructure, water, energy, security, education and healthcare and climate resilience.
“It’s only Garissa which was recently connected to the national grid and we want that electrification programme extended to Wajir and Mandera counties which remain unconnected to electric power grids to spur socio-economic growth,” he said.
The leaders called for the immediate completion of Horn of Africa Gateway Project the Isiolo to Mandera road which needs to be fast-tracked and the construction of missing links such as Moyale-Wajir, Moyale-Mandera via Takaba, Garissa-Liboi and security roads like Mandera-Lafey-Elwak-Liboi-Lamu circuit.
Eldas MP Aden Keinan said they were demanding a comprehensive analysis and audit of 85 percent of national government sharable revenue.
“This is critical to understanding the extent of resource allocation and ensuring that our region receives its fair share of national funding,” said Keinan.
Fafi MP Salah Yaqub noted that insecurity and violent extremism have severely hampered the region’s growth and noted MPs’ determination to work with the security agencies and local communities towards promoting peace building efforts to enhance security.
Yaqub said the consequences of the historical neglect suffered by the locals were starkly informed by widespread poverty, poor health, inadequate educational facilities, minimal economic opportunities and lack of critical infrastructure.
