BY Frontier Online Team
Leaders from Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of Garissa, Isiolo, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, and Wajir have declared to rally behind new political formation UPYA Movement.
The leaders led by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani met in Naivasha on Saturday to reflect together on the future of their region to give it a voice and political direction at the national level.
Barely 11 months to the general elections, the leaders from nine counties in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) they declared that the UPYA movement will be the political platform at the national level speaking on behalf of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya.
In the declarations made in Naivasha, they unanimously picked Cabinet Secretary for Finance Ukur Yatani as their point man and gave him the go-ahead to engage other political parties.
“We will all speak in one voice after realizing that unity and diversity particularly in political formations are key. We have resolved to continue working together and formalize our movement into a coalition with legal backing,” said Yatani.
He further decried that the ASAL areas have been neglected for a long time when it comes to decision making but the coming polls, they will be united in the negotiating table.
“We have had fruitful deliberations in this meeting, and we are committed to working as one team so as to tackle our problems,” he said.
The leaders addressed a press conference after a two-day meeting in Sawela lodge, Naivasha where they agreed on the deliberations.
Isiolo Governor Mohammed Kuti affirmed that the process of legalizing the movement has kicked off in order to raise the stakes for the region once negotiations commence.
Kuti stated that the coalition will not sideline any party or individuals from the region if they are like-minded in their quest to solidify the region.
“We have started the process of legalizing this movement and we have picked CS Yatani as our spokesperson and given him the nod to work with other leaders,” he said.
In a statement read by Garissa Senator Abdulkadir Haji, the umbrella political platform, are now strategizing to support the revitalization of two or three political parties in the region as they gear towards the 2022 general election.
“We proclaim that the UPYA movement will unite residents from ASAL areas to articulate a common political position and objectives for the 2022 elections, and more specifically negotiate for greater socio-economic investment and development in the region,” read Haji.
With the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) expected to roll out mass voter registration exercise in October 2021, the leaders have strategized to put in place mechanisms to ensure every eligible citizen in the region is able to register despite the ongoing drought.
“We further proclaim that the UPYA movement will be a grassroots-oriented and participatory movement which listens to the region’s residents and affords them the opportunity to articulate their views in order to formulate strategies aimed at narrowing ASAL area’s development gap,” said Haji
On his part, Eldas MP Adan Keynan noted that the drought has ravaged the lives of tens of families and called on the government through relevant agencies to hasten the process of alleviating the situation.
The leaders were drawn from ASAL areas that include Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, Isiolo, Mandera, Garissa, Wajir, Tana River, and Lamu counties.
This political move is aimed at ensuring the ASAL areas constituting a vast landmass and culturally diverse population, is not regarded as a ‘swing vote’ region but a unified block ahead of the 2022 general elections.