Waata community in Kilifi County has formed a council of elders to champion its interests in the devolved unit and fight for recognition as an indigenous Kenyan ethnic community, complete with a registration code.
The council was unveiled at a brief ceremony held at the Magarini Cultural Centre in Magarini Sub County over the weekend following elections held in the month of July, 2024 in all four sub-counties of Kilifi where the minority community has a presence: Magarini, Kilifi North, Malindi, and Ganze.
The chairman of the election board, Mr. Baloni Onesmus, declared Mr. Jacob Kokani as the council’s chairman to be deputised by Mr. Stephen Abajila Lolo. Mr. Stanley Guyo Said is the secretary, assisted by Ms. Irene Abajila Hiribae, while Ms. Ginora Aliwa Abajila is in charge of the Treasury.
Mr. Baloni said the community was facing numerous challenges, including high illiteracy levels due to poverty, and that the few that had managed to get an education had remained unemployed because they do not have people in high positions to fight for them.
He said the lack of representation in the political arena and other forums had led to great challenges to the community due to the lack of a voice in any decisions, some of which have a direct impact on the community’s wellbeing.
According to him, there are more than 35,000 members of the Waata community in four of the six counties of the Coastal Region: Kwale, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, and Tana River Counties.
Mr. Kokani, the newly elected chairman, said he would work hard to ensure that his community is fully recognised as a community in the country by getting a registration code to make it easy for community members to acquire National Identity Cards and other amenities.
He said he would strive to ensure the community members are educated and politically represented so that it can embrace modernity and involve itself in political elections.
Mr. Philip Wario, the Kilifi County Chief Officer for Livestock Development, who hails from the community, lauded the formation of the council, saying that for the community to progress, it was imperative that its members form a united front.
He pledged to work with the council of elders to ensure the interests of the community are taken care of in the county government of Kilifi.
Samson Bashora said there was a need for the community to be represented at the County Assembly of Kilifi and the County Executive Committee for it to feel it is properly recognised and cherished in the county.
Ms. Ginora Aliwa Abajila, the newly elected treasurer, said despite the community doing its best to educate its children, lack of employment was discouraging the effort.
She also called for land rights for the Waata community, noting that although it was an indigenous community, its members do not own land ownership documents.
Historically, the Waata were hunters and gatherers, renowned for their hunting skills, but their lifestyle has been significantly impacted by new hunting policies and modern socio-economic pressures that have forced many of them to adopt farming and other forms of employment.
Despite numerous challenges and near assimilation into larger communities, the Waata have managed to preserve many of their cultural and traditional practices, including a distinct language.
By Emmanuel Masha
