Monday, July 14, 2008

VOI

HON. DAWSON MWAZO, MP (ODM)

When Dawson Mwazo won the hotly contested Voi parliamentary seat, one of the constituents told him to remember ahadi ni deni (a promise is a debt).

"He had won on ODM whose manifesto had great promises to ‘unlock the potential’ of Coast Province.Voters say past MPs have failed to spur development in the area rich with minerals, big sisal plantations and oranges. Mwazo’s pledge that it will not be business as usual won the voters’ hearts.Dani — as he is popularly known — knows too well the local politics are as hair rising as his hobby, motor racing. At the end of five-year term, voters expect his results.His is a tall order since voters often fire MPs after the first term. For the last two decades, no MP has made it to Parliament twice. "We cannot guess our destiny.

If an MP fails to deliver, why should he be given a second chance?" asked a voter.During the campaigns, Mwazo promised to check poverty, insecurity, persistent human/wildlife conflicts, unemployment, and drug abuse among the youth. He promised to ensure that Voi, which lies on the edge of Tsavo National Park, benefits from tourism revenue.Mwazo, who joined politics from the corporate world, also promised that locals would benefit from mining activities.

"I will ensure that the vast constituency that is endowed with enormous natural resources like mineral, water and wildlife benefit the community," he says." Eighty per cent of mining in Kenya is carried out in the constituency. Water sources like the Mzima Springs have not been harnessed for irrigation to ensure food security in this semi-arid constituency. This will change," he says.As a former senior executive/manager Coca Cola Company in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, he says he is aware of community driven development. But voters expect him to bring workable solutions to the area. They expect him to use his marketing skills to boost the orange market in the area.

Voi is one of the largest producers of oranges in the country. But the area has little to show for it. The roads are in a bad state, which has made it hard for farmers to access the market. They have therefore been left at the mercies of middlemen.Mwazo accuses his predecessors of failing to fight for the amendment of archaic mining and wildlife laws that had infringed the community’s rights.One term phenomenonMPs in the district have agreed to lobby for land, wildlife and mining reforms so that residents can benefit from their natural resources.
Mwazo is aware that successive MPs in the constituency who includes among others the immediate Boniface Mganga served only one term.


Others who were also shown the door after serving one term each include Adiel Kachila (now deceased), Douglus Mbela and Basil Mwakiringo.The political scenario in the constituency drastically changed immediately after former Cabinet minister Eliud Mwamunga who served for 20 years consecutively quit politics.
No MP has ever served for two terms.Besides being strategically placed along the railway line, Voi is also a market town, though little has been done to develop infrastructure and other services. For example, although it is a major stop for passengers to and from Mombasa, the town has no public toilet, water is a problem despite that Mzima springs from Tsavo passes through and has no streetlights.Mwazo says he will encourage his people to invest in ranching, as livestock production in the area.


However,The MP emphasises: "As a manager with a wealth of experience in the private sector I will ensure poverty and poor education standards are a thing of the past.The legislator says he will closely work with relevant stakeholders in education to improve the dwindling standards.At the same time, Mwazo declared that he would ensure bright students from poor families received bursaries to enable them complete their education from secondary to university. He says the locals will be educated on how to engage in extensive agricultural and livestock farming for commercial purposes to fight poverty in the area.

Immediate former MP: Hon. Boniface Mganga ,Assistant Minister, (Ministry of Tourism).
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Sources: THE STANDARD
Story by Renson Mnyamwezi

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