I CAN SEE CHANGE IN NORTHERN KENYA.

 I CAN SEE CHANGE IN NORTHERN KENYA.

Although I don’t hail from northern Kenya nor did I ever place my foot in the gorgeous region, but the area is so close to my heart for reasons best known to me.

The other day, I was privileged to attend an annual conference  for north eastern province student association. Splendid student from this region converged at Egerton University to discuss adversities encountered by the people of this area. Mark you the students were from all public universities in the country.

I sat in the hall listening sternly to the students raising their grievances to the guest of honour Farah Maalim who also happens to be an mp from the region and who is also the deputy speaker of the Kenyan parliament. From their talking, I profoundly learnt one thing. The students were very intelligent just like others from other regions of this great nation of diversity. And given conducive environment and facilities they lack in the region they too can perform much higher and compete in the labour market with their counterparts in the country.

At the end of their conference they concurred to change themselves and the region they come from,they all agreed not to follow the parochial, myopic ideas of clanism, tribalism practiced by the elderly in the villages. Surely formal schooling is transforming these great students. According to me formal schooling is a sufficient condition for an individual to see the value of all humanity, irrespective of its cultural base. Those who do not reach out beyond their boundaries and seek solidarity only with their people open themselves to the possibility of contributing to the suffering of others.

As I made for door of the hall, i can only see, the winds of change blowing through the streets of north eastern and the villages of that region filled with air of hope: I profoundly believe if all what the students said will be implemented , great transformation will be realized in the region.

The students were simply passing one great message to the guest of honour, that no person, people or community was created from left overs of creation. It doesn’t matter about their background; people of northern Kenya are one people, one nation.

To them peace will prevail in north eastern and all of them will be in the pursuit of happiness, which is development. I strongly believe they all want counties of this region to receive all basics needs required by their society.

Eventually to me the students were selfless and have started living. In the words of Martin Luther king jnr, An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic/clan concerns to the broader concerns of all of humanity.

MAULID BILLY ALI