Kitui locals say Senate sittings failed to discuss insecurity

A section of Kitui residents are disappointed by the Senate sittings held in the county, saying the failed to meet their expectations as there was no boost businesses and, at the same time, did not address their social and economic concerns.

Topping their priority was insecurity at the border of Kitui and Tana River counties which has been a constant worry for residents of four of the county’s eight constituencies – Kitui South, Kitui East, Mwingi Central and Mwingi North.

BANDIT ATTACKS

The second edition of Senate Mashinani kicked off on the backdrop of bandit attacks in Kitui South that left three people dead, seven schools closed and scores nursing gunshot injuries, yet, according to the residents, the issue was never given serious attention.

The affected residents, who expected to be given a hearing by the relevant Senate committee, said they felt ignored in comparison to the inaugural edition in Uasin Gishu County last year where local issues affecting maize farmers were thoroughly addressed.

PRESSING MATTERS

The Senate had pressing national legislative matters to transact including the passing of the County Revenue Allocation Bill, which had been long overdue and which was to give effect to the Division of Revenue Act.

The Bill, which was debated on Wednesday, averted a possible shutdown of counties because without it, they could not access their share of national revenue during the two month standoff between Senate and the National Assembly over the amount of money that should have gone to counties as equitable share.

Several other Bills were also lined up for debate including the County Tourism Bill, the Street Vendors Bill, the County Hall of Fame Bill and the Commission on Administrative Justice Bill.

HYPED SITTINGS

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua had hyped the Senate sittings as a big event which will only recur after 46 years, saying it would accord residents an opportunity to interact with the legislators and petition them on any pertinent issues affecting them.

But several people who spoke to the Nation complained that insecurity remains a major concern in Kitui County that deserved sufficient interrogation on root causes by the relevant committee or during the Senate Mashinani plenary sittings.

According to Mutha Ward MCA Antony John, it would have been very prudent if the senators took time to visit hundreds of families which have been evicted from their homes by bandits.

DISPLACED FAMILIES

The families are camping at Mutha Catholic Church, Musenge Primary School in Kitui South and Imuumba Primary School in Kitui East.

“We thought the Senate sitting will provide us with the best opportunity to narrate our stories and bring the bandit menace to national attention but, sadly, that didn’t happen,” said Mr John.

Mr John said as the sittings were going on, a fourth person, a teacher from Kalambani Primary School which is among the learning institutions closed, succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at Mutomo Mission Hospital.

Mr Nyamai Ngau was ambushed the previous week while riding a motorbike with his brother who was shot in the leg.

ATTACKED

After their motorcycle crashed, the bandits descended on them and attacked them with a spear, leaving Mr Ngau seriously injured.

Residents have accused the government of turning a blind eye on the root cause of problem by failing to flush out more than 5,000 people illegally living inside the South Kitui Game Reserve where some are feared to be illegal foreigners and terror agents responsible for persistent bandit attacks.

MPs Racheal Nyamai (Kitui South) and Nimrod Mbai (Kitui East), both from the Jubilee Party, have claimed that the unending pastoral conflict pitting residents of Kitui and herders from counties in northern Kenya is instigated by certain high ranking government officials for selfish gains.

PETITION

Mr Wambua Mwosya, a representative of the displaced families, said they had prepared a petition to present to the Senate but they were not given an opportunity to so, perhaps due to a pre-determined tight schedule.

“We’ve suffered for many decades from these bandit attacks. Right now, we’re sleeping in the cold and surviving on well-wishers for food,” lamented Mr Mwosya, adding that their children are missing classes because their schools are closed and the parents do not feel safe to return home.

Kitui County National Youth Council chairman Aggrey Nzomo also expressed displeasure, saying large sections of the local community are mourning and all they needed was consolation from their leaders.

“The host senator should have intervened to prioritise the people’s most pressing needs because he has full knowledge of the issues. Failure to meet the banditry victims was a big goof,” said Mr Nzomo.

MENACE

Over the years, more than 70 people have been killed in attacks and a motion to demand a lasting solution to the menace would have reassured the residents that their lives and welfare mattered.

The bandit attacks only got a mention in passing when the Communications Authority of Kenya appeared before the Senate committee on ICT to explain why certain parts of Kitui are not connected to mobile telephone network.

The areas prone to banditry also lack mobile network coverage and residents have to walk for kilometres to get a signal to enable them report the attacks to the police.

HOTELS BENEFIT

On the business front, hoteliers were the biggest winners during the one week event where they made good profits by providing accommodation and food to the more than 300 guests including Senate staff who accompanied the senators.

A spot check by the Nation revealed that most local hotels and guest houses were fully booked for the entire week, with prices going up slightly due to demand.

However, other than hoteliers and perhaps supermarkets which supplied consumables like milk, sugar, bottled water and stationery to Senate, other traders including taxi operators said they did not feel the impact of the event.

PROCUREMENT RULES

Mr Mwema Wilson, a trader, said Senate procurement rules made it difficult for small scale traders to benefit from the event.

“The senators and their staff came in their own cars, fully fuelled and they even had their own caterers brought from Nairobi,” Mr Wilson said.

But this view was refuted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kitui Branch Chairman Duncan Singi who said the impact on hotels and the supporting food supply chain was huge.

“Kitui people didn’t expect senators to come and buy iron sheets from hardware shops or books and clothes from stores. The person selling groceries sold more because hotels required more to cater for the increased number of guests,” said Mr Singi.