Residents want Kenyans’ expectations on devolution fulfilled

Migori, Wednesday, June 14, 2023

KNA By George Agimba

Migori County residents now appeal to the two levels of governments to address challenges of unemployment, drug abuse, discrimination, violence and illegal gangs.

A visit by the Kenya News Agency to the many ‘Bunge La Wanachi’ forums in the region this week revealed the extent of the results the local people want the current two-tier governments to achieve for them.

During the debates in various events of the bunge la wananchi outfits within Migori, Awendo, Kehancha, Rongo and Isebania towns, participants complained about government bureaucracies that discriminate against the youth especially in getting government jobs, issuance of government tenders and recruitment for political jobs.

“It is now a dream for counties to award a third of government contracts to the youth as enshrined in the constitution,” lamented Mr.Tom Ouma, adding that even the disbursement of the youth empowerment fund and other national fund kitties meant for the young people were now run in a skewed manner.

Participants in these forums also asked the Kenya Kwanza government and the leadership of the devolved units to focus most in growing the agricultural sector that has been identified as the main economic backbone of the nation.

They noted that it was wrong that the successive regimes, since independence, had ignored the problems facing the sugar industry, leading to the multiple hardships dogging the sugar factories such as Sony, Mumias, Chemelil and the rest.

“The successive governments had allowed middlemen to prey on the sugar sector leading to the current poverty situation in Western Kenya. We want a situation where we will be growing and selling our sugarcane crop ourselves in a relaxed and profit-making environment,” said one debater Paul Mideny at a heated forum in Rongo town yesterday.

As a result of the high prevalence rate of alcohol consumption among the youth in the region, the forums called on the state to delve into establishing a working rehabilitation facility to take care of the drunken youth.

The participants blamed the high rate of alcoholism among the local youngsters on frustrations, saying most of them were learned but jobless.

John Chacha Mwita said there was urgent need for establishment of a huge and working rehab centre in the region that would help counsel and rehabilitate the wasted youth.

He observed that most of the youth who abuse drugs were from poor families, which could not finance such rehabilitation.

The forums believe that the youth joining proscribed illegal gangs and participating in political violence were doing so because of lack of jobs and, should be considered for recruitment in military and other national drives.

This, they said, would help the youth lead healthy lives and drop criminal activities that have dominated the region and led to high rate of insecurity.

Courtesy ; K. N. A