Monday, July 14, 2008

TAVETA


DR. (MRS) NAOMI NAMSI SHABA, MP (KANU)
Minister for Special Prgrammes

Dr Naomi Shaban twice ignored the ‘wise counsel’ of elders, contested the Taveta seat and won."I didn’t shun their advice out of spite. I respect them very much. But times have changed," she is quick to point out.In the run-up to 2002 and last year’s General Election elders met and unanimously agreed that Shaban should not vie for the seat.On both occasions, the elders even went to Shaban’s mother to compel her to reprimand her ‘stubborn’ daughter.

To the bafflement of the elders, Shaban’s mother ignored the decree by the elders and supported her daughter’s ambition. She even asked other women to support her."I rebelled against a cultural bias and went ahead with my ambitions of becoming an MP," says Shaban.The MP says she was appalled by belief that a woman should not aspire to lead.Shaban, who is also the Special Programmes Minister, says politics has exposed her to hurdles women politicians face. The minister had a difficult time convincing the local council of elders to contest for the seat in 2001 by-elections. Shaban’s chance to plunge into elective politics came after the then Taveta MP Basil Criticos left the country in 2001.

Naomi says though she was not ready, her supporters convinced her that it was the best opportunity to test the waters in the by-election."Despite this support, the council of elders would not allow me to vie," she says.She said she was denied a Kanu nomination after the council of elders sent a delegation to the party’s headquarters in Nairobi with a tough warning."I was bitter with the elder’s decision but I decided to soldier on with my quest," she says.The MP said she approached the former Vice-President and Ford-Kenya chairman Michael Wamalwa, who granted her a certificate to participate in the by-election. She, however, came third in the competitive race won by Mr Jackson Mwalulu.

The legislator says she had to battle it out with the elders to leave women to try their luck in politics.Before the 2002 General Election, the MP says she had done her groundwork well and she easily romped home on a Kanu ticket.Shaban retained her seat last year and was subsequently appointed to the Cabinet, becoming the first woman from the Coast to become a minister. She is philosophical about the tight race against seven men.Daunting task"In every competition, there is a winner and loser. Taveta people have confidence in me and that is why they had given me a second chance to represent them," she says. Shaban has come along way from a small piece of leased land in Taveta. Her grandmother took care of her as her widowed mother worked in a printing firm in Nairobi.

A graduate of University of Nairobi, Shaban has tried her hand in many careers. Before joining University she had worked for Housing Finance Company of Kenya. A dental surgeon, she worked briefly at Kajiado District Hospital after graduating in 1988. At the national platform, her docket is under intense scrutiny due to the thorny issue of resettlement and compensation of IDPs. Besides lack of funds, she is also among those the success of ‘Operation Rudi Nyumbani’ depends on.Shaban faces many challenges. Poverty is rampant in the constituency.The region is relatively dry but there is a reasonable percentage of commercial and subsistence farming, with the main crops being banana, cotton, sugarcane, mangoes, avocadoes and many horticultural produce. There are extensive sisal farms.The main one is contested by the Government, Criticos and squatters.

Shaban is faced with finding a lasting solution to the squatter issue. She says the Government has bought about 15, 000 acres of land to be distributed to the landless. The area also experiences flooding. The MP says a feasibility study has been conducted on how to control floods .

Due to the regions proximity to the Tsavo National Park, there is persistent human/ wildlife conflicts. The area’s road network is also in a sorry state.Water shortage is another problem. However, the MP has promised to ensure provision of water for domestic use and irrigation . "I also intend to address issues on education, health, rural electrification, market access for agricultural produce, security and establishment of settlement schemes," she says. Some of the projects she initiated and completed include Njoro Kubwa irrigation canal, revival of Lake Jipe rehabilitation, and Ngutuni rural electrification.

Immediate former MP: Hon. Jackson Mwalulu

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Sources: THE STANDARD
Story by: Renson Mnyamwezi

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