GARSEN

Hon. Danson Buya Mungatana, MP (Narc-K)
Assistant Minister, Ministry of Medical Services


Immediate former MP: Molu Shambaro

*********************************

KUINDWA'S ENTRY TO ALTER STAKES IN TANA RIVER

By NATION Reporter
Monday, June 17, 2002

One of the backwaters of Kenyan politics, Tana River District, is bound to attract unusual attention come the General Election when former Civil Service head Fares Kuindwa enters the fray. Mr Kuindwa is eyeing the Garsen parliamentary seat but it is surprising that even local pundits don't rate the man, who is undoubtedly the most senior and prominent person ever to emerge from the district, all that high. His main handicap, it seems, is that locals view him as aloof and having done little for the remote and under-developed area when he reigned as Kenya's topmost civil servant.

Mr Kuindwa will be trying to dethrone Mr Molu Shambaro, who made a mark in 1992 when he ousted another leading Tana River personality, former permanent secretary for education Yuda Komora. It is a campaign that is bound to be dominated by Mr Kuindwa's profile, and that might well work against him as long as the people perceive him as a local boy made good – who failed to deliver. The dilemma for Mr Kuindwa is that many Tana River people had unrealistic expectations when he rose to the apex of the civil service. Some expected tarmac roads, piped water, telephone lines and electricity supply to suddenly appear. They also expected that with him at the helm, perennial insecurity posed by banditry and tribal clashes between the mainly pastoralist Orma and the agrarian Pokomo and Wardei would be a thing of the past.

Mr Kuindwa, however, was not in office when the clashes, which mostly affected Garsen constituency, flared up last year resulting in a heavy death toll. Tana River, though really not too far away from Mombasa, is as underdeveloped as can be, and local leaders are always under great pressure to "bring development." The main road linking Mombasa in the Coast Province and Garissa in North-Eastern Province is untarmacked from Kokani (near Garsen) to Hola and beyond. Travellers have to either make do with the dust of the dry season, or, during rains, spend a few nights in buses which are unlucky enough to get stuck in the mud.

Former Garsen MP Yuda Komora says tarmacking of the road stopped as soon as he was voted out in 1997. Though that may be a self-serving observation, it illustrates the main challenge for any leader – doing something about the roads both within the district and the links to Mombasa and Garissa. The district is also currently suffering from massive floods which have displaced thousands of people from their homes, with Garsen Constituency being the worst affected. Efforts by the government and international relief organisations have done little to ease the plight of the people.

Voters will be looking for a leader with the financial clout and connections in high places to push forward their concerns. Could that person be Mr Kuindwa? This remains to be seen.Then there is the issue of ethnic clashes, which for the past two years have taken a heavy toll in Tana River. All local leaders, and those seeking elective posts, claim to have played a key role in peace talks that eased tensions between the warring communities earlier this year. But it is acknowledged that the prevailing peace could be temporary, especially with indications that politicians may start looking to ethnic support as the polls approach.

Already, some local leaders are pointing the finger at powerful personalities form the North Eastern Province whom they claim are plotting to "annex" parts of Tana River District. Other electoral issues will include marketing of livestock and revival of the stalled Bura, Tana (Hola) and Gamba irrigation schemes, whose collapse has led to increased poverty and insecurity posed by banditry.

The recent merger between Kanu and the National Development Party may not alter the political scenario in the three Tana River constituencies where the Opposition has not had much influence. Except, possibly, in the case of veteran politician Japheth Kase who was NDP deputy leader and now might want to use that as his claim to the Kanu ticket for Galole constituency currently held by assistant minister Kola Toga Mugava.
Everything, however, might be relegated to the background if Mr Kuindwa makes a forceful entry. A low-key personality even at the height of his powers, Mr Kuindwa might find that politics is a much more gruelling occupation than working in the Civil Service.

"I have been approached by many people who have urged me to represent them and I am still consulting with the people," Mr Kuindwa said when the Nation enquired about his plans. He is yet to identify which party he will be contesting on, although local observers do not see him standing on a ticket other than Kanu.
Mr Kuindwa says he has initiated various development projects, which should endear him to voters. That, added to his experience at the civil service, and the fact that he has been Kenya's ambassador to the United Nations – where he was posted after being removed from Harambee House in July 1998 to make way for Dr Richard Leakey and the "Dream Team"– make him a front-runner by his own estimation.

****************************

MP to face battle of his life in tussle with ex-Civil Service boss

By NATION Reporter
Monday, June 17, 2002

A curious fact about Garsen constituency is that the results of the 1997 General Election were delayed so much that, eventually, they were never published in any local newspapers alongside the results for the rest of the country.

Mr Molu Shambaro, the 1992 runner-up on the Ford Kenya ticket emerged the winner after having switched to Kanu, and now might face the political battle of his life fending off the challenge of former Civil Service head Phares Kuindwa and another strong contender, Mr Mandara Barisa Badiribu.
Both the challengers are from the dominant Pokomo community, unlike the incumbent who hails from the Orma, and are seeking the support of the influential Pokomo council of elders, which usually identifies the community torchbearer.

One would expect that Mr Kuindwa would be a certain front-runner under any circumstances. But that is not the case as the elders seem to be leaning towards Mr Badiribu. It is at the Kanu nominations where the real battle will be fought, but the tide might shift against the ruling party if there are bad feelings after the nomination.

Kanu's dominance cannot be taken for granted if the results of 1992, where Mr Shambaro put up a strong showing on an Opposition ticket, are anything to go by. Only a fortnight ago, some six potential candidates - Mombasa lawyer Danson Mungatana; regular contender Omar Kalasinga; Mr Joel Ruhu, the chairman of the Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (Kuscco); Mr Michael Nkaduda, leader of the Federal Party of Kenya; Mr Said Rhova, a former children's officer in Malindi; and Mr Morris Maro, came together to announce a pact by which they will back one candidate for the seat.

This seems to have partly been influenced by the likelihood that the elders will choose a Kanu candidate, in which case the Opposition might field Mr Mungatana, under a loose alliance linked to Ford People. "We have agreed to pick a suitable candidate from among us to carry the Pokomo parliamentary vote against the Kanu candidate in the forthcoming elections," Mr Kalasinga, a two-time contender and leader of the Shirikisho Party of Kenya recently told the Nation. Mr Kalasinga said that party affiliation would not be an issue in the selection. He added that the Pokomo had decided not to vote for Kanu after the government failed to protect them during the recent tribal clashes.

Mr Badiribu reportedly chose to stay away from the negotiations, while Mr Kuindwa was sick in hospital at the time. Interestingly, Mr Kuindwa does not outrightly reject the Opposition alliance, only saying that he would like to be more enlightened about the criteria to be used to choose that single candidate.
Within Kanu, there are concerns that Mr Kuindwa, because of his high-level connections, could be handed the Kanu ticket despite opposition on the ground. "He could not perform as a chief (read Civil Service head)," Mr Badiribu says of Mr Kuindwa, adding: "How will he be expected to perform as a sub-chief?" A strong contender on the Safina ticket in 1997, Mr Badiribu eventually went back to Kanu and last year he was appointed by President Moi to play a leading role in cooling ethnic tension after the clashes that had ravaged the area. Earlier this year he became the Garsen Kanu branch secretary, and sees the parliamentary seat as his for the taking.
He dismisses Mr Kuindwa as a remote personality who has never been in touch with local issues, and who did nothing for the people when he occupied the highest position in the Civil Service. Former MP Yuda Komora, who came second to Mr Shambaro in the Kanu nominations for the 1997 elections, says he is still considering whether or not to contest the seat.

Mr Shambaro is quietly marshalling his own support. He enjoys solid backing of the Orma, and is gaining support from some Pokomo because of his contribution towards the peace process. Mr Mungatana would appear to be the front-runner for the Opposition, but he needs to secure support from the council of elders. He also played a role in the peace efforts, and has greatly endeared himself to the people by offering free legal services.

"If I am elected, my vision is to make Tana River the food basket of the Coast Province," he says, adding that proper leadership would make this vision a reality. He has been campaigning for land adjudication, an issue very dear among the Pokomo, who, unlike the pastoralist Orma, want land title deeds. The focus, however, is on Mr Kuindwa, currently chairman of the Postal Corporation of Kenya. He is credited with helping to improve roads in Garsen, mainly the Tarasaa-Ngao. He is also credited with the rehabilitation of water supply projects, particularly the Oda and Ngao water projects.
His critics see issues differently. They point out that Hola Town, the headquarters of Tana River District, Garsen and Tarasaa, has no electricity.

He is also accused of doing nothing when the Bura, Hola and Gamba irrigation schemes collapsed. But Mr Kuindwa has a response to the allegations. "My development record is there for all to see," he says, adding that MPs were to blame for stalled government projects. The tarmacking of Hola-Garsen road started in 1984, long before he was head of Civil Service, he adds. Mr Kuindwa prides himself of having initiated many women's groups involved in local development projects. "Amongst all the candidates, I feel I am the best suited to represent the people of Garsen, for peace and understanding to prevail."