SALAH ABDI SHEIKH

FOR GOVERNOR WAJIR COUNTY 2017

MANIFESTO

BELIEVE!
Together we can.

SOCIAL
SECURITY LITERACY

CARE FOR
PEOPLE

PLANNED
SETTLEMENTS
 MANIFESTO - Introduction

Salah Abdi Sheikh

Wajir County Gubernatorial bid 2017

S
alah Abdi Sheikh is known for his open, charismatic
and participatory style of work and is regarded
highly for his innovative and developmental ideas.
Over the years he was advocating for the rights
of the victims and survivors of historical injustices in
Northern Kenya. He has travelled widely across Northern
Kenya many times and has been involved in research on
social and economic issues affecting the community. He
also walked across the breadth of Wajir County and has
talked to hundreds of residents in a bid to understand the
community needs. This manifesto is intended to provide
broader solutions to the pressing challenges that Salah’s
administration will address as a priority.

This Manifesto is a blueprint which will be the bedrock of

my administration in changing the way the Wajir County
resources are managed and shared. It is also intended
to revamp the way the Wajir County Government serves
the residents. It is an attempt to generate local resources,
re-orient the perceptions of the people of the county
with regards to self economic empowerment. It is more
importantly a blueprint for addressing the challenge of the
high rate of adult illiteracy, rampant abject poverty and
unplanned villages, towns and informal settlements that are
rendering the land unsuitable for economic use. Resolving
these pressing matters will not only liberate the minds of
the people but also herald an era of democratic political
engagements where the county electorate will vote on the
basis of who has better policies and programs and not on
who comes from specific clan or area of residence.

Wajir County needs unflinching, trustworthy and honest

BELIEVE!
leadership. Such leadership will be motivated enough
to clean up the health system improve the educational
standards, build roads and clean up the towns. Such
leadership must have the audacity to confront clan loyalties

Together we can.
and create integration, curb the brain drain and create a
self-sustaining economy.

In framing the issues at stake in Wajir County 2017

Gubernatorial Contest, the following are the priorities, neatly
summarized, that a Salah led administration will tackle:
 Care for the people by
tackling abject poverty

A. Social Welfare

I
t is our job to protect the people against abject poverty that makes them dependent on handouts and clan
social generosity by providing social welfare and child support that will uplift their living standards. Hungry
people don’t think, ponder, reflect or even get a chance to improve themselves. The social welfare mode
here is direct and sustained assistance to households through provision of child support to poor mothers.
We propose child support for the poorest 10,000 households at the rate of Kshs. 3,000 per child per month
for the first five (5) children. This will inject Kshs. 150 million directly into households every month.

This is an extension of the National Government welfare programme that target retired citizens and livelihood
support programmes for drought stricken families through the National Drought Management Authority
(NDMA). It is also similar to programmes run by certain non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that give
cash assistance to families. The difference is that this is an enhanced and sustained support targeting children
under the age of 15 years where the recipients are the mothers. The programme will be implemented at the
ward level. The administration of the system will be simplified using mobile money transfer platform. The
service will be available to all citizens on self-registration basis and will not require any intermediary between
the County Government and the beneficiaries. There will be two standing conditions for receiving this aid.
First the beneficiary must agree to join literacy and life skills programme. Secondly, the beneficiary must
accept to move to the nearest settlement with a minimum of 500 households.

This is also an economic stimulus targeting all the County residents and intended to create markets for
goods and services at the grassroots. The money the County puts into the communities, will be spent at
the communities’ level. The local shop, local vegetable seller, the local wholesale, the tea vendor and the
milk vendor will get business worth the amount put into social welfare. This money will circulate in the local
economy and will lead to enhanced production and consumption at the local level. The money paid for large
contracts is normally repatriated to Nairobi County and completely disappears from the system, leading to
a dangerous mode of capital flight that impoverishes the county. Salah’s administration wants the money
to circulate in those little villages because they are the backbone of the businesses that operate within the
county.

The objective of creating devolved units to be able to know, understand and aid the citizens of the county.
The government is not an abstract idea but a friend to its people. The county government will make itself
friendly, approachable and a vehicle for prosperity, progress and bright future for business and investment
but will also endeavour to pull out of poverty and listlessness any vulnerable group who are residents of the
county.

In providing social services, the county government will:

i. Collect information on every resident in terms of number of people in a household, monthly income,
type of house and number of livestock in the homestead. This data will be put in a system to ensure
that the county government knows its people well.

ii. Initiate a children’s department that is intended to protect children against hunger, ignorance, abuse
and illiteracy. This department will be high profile and reachable by all communication devices
including social media and will ensure children in the county benefit from the county government and
their rights are protected.

iii. Develop a cash back support mechanism for old people, poor families, disabled people, single
mothers and other vulnerable groups. This support services will be tied with literacy project and other
projects so that people have to improve themselves and not remain dependent on the government

iv. Run an awareness campaigns on all matters that are beneficial to the county residents and share
information with the locals in an open and honest manner.
 Care enough to educate:
Massive Literacy Campaign

I
t is our job to enlighten our people and avail them
all opportunities to improve their lives. According to
the literacy survey conducted in 2007 by the Kenya
Government, only 8% of the people of Wajir County are
literate. This means 92% of the population in Wajir County is
functionally illiterate. Illiteracy is the worst form of slavery and
consigns its victims to perpetual inferiority and ignorance.
We want to free our people from the malady of ignorance. An
illiterate citizen cannot be a good citizen; such a citizen will
not even comprehend the obligation of a government and
the right of the citizen. The Salah led County Government
will initiate a campaign designed to reduce illiteracy and
promote literacy in the county, and this will be modelled
on the celebrated Cuban “Yes I can” system which is now
being used all over the world including among the Aborigine
communities in Australia. We propose a 3-year plan to raise
literacy from 8% to 92% using various means. The target is
to achieve basic literacy and numeracy by 2020. This idea
will be implemented in the following ways:
i. The right to receive social welfare child support will
be tied to the responsibility to join adult literacy
programme and also gain skills to earn a living.
ii. The County Government will employ adult literacy
teachers, ECD and primary teachers on part-time
basis to implement the literacy project.
iii. Qualified school leavers will be hired to teach adult
classes for two years before they join university.
Those who are hired to teach will be paid living
expenses as well as scholarship to a local university
of their choice.
iv. 400 adult teachers will be deployed across the county
to roll out the literacy programmes over three years.
v. The County Government will liaise with university
students from Northern Kenya to conduct continuous
literacy campaign where students on holiday are
deployed in the villages to teach adults.
vi. Wajir Community Radio will be allocated funding to
Education is the run literacy classes on radio for specific hours on
daily basis.
most powerful vii. The County Government will sensitize the residents
of Wajir to teach or learn where every literate resident
tool we can use will be asked to volunteer to teach their neighbours
basic literacy. Volunteers will be trained and afforded
to change the the necessary materials for teaching and learning.
No other bid has the capacity to propose this kind of novel
world. program because freeing the people out of ignorance
unleashes a monster called informed citizen that they cannot
Nelson Mandela control. For the people of Wajir County, the era of being
uninformed automaton is over. The age of reading will dawn.
 Care to solve pertinent problems:
Community Re-organization

W
ajir County has a thorny issue of settlements mushrooming everywhere created by politicians
for political reasons. This is a problem because these settlements are far too many for any
credible government to provide basic services. These settlements are economically unviable
and unsustainable since their establishment was politically motivated. These settlements are not
planned, have no basic infrastructure like schools, health centers, security and water. There is one settlement
that has a 9 classrooms school with 9 children attending the school which is complete waste of resources.
There is a settlement that only exists because the sub-clan that lives there has a Sub-Chief. The people
there are hungry, thirsty, lack medical care and are desperate but they are camping there to safeguard the
interest of their sub-Chief. The quality of education is affected because political schools built with CDF
money in strange and dusty places with no enough teaching staff crowd out resources from other more
suitable places. Livestock farmers or pastoralists perennially complain that there is no longer any space to
rear livestock; there is a settlement under every tree. Somebody needs to raise the alarm. We cannot have
all these unplanned villages everywhere; we have to have land for agriculture, land for industries, land for
mining, land for settlement and more important than all others, land for livestock. We have to be able to
provide services to all the settlements in the County.

We therefore propose that:

1. The threshold for creation of any settlement will be a minimum of 500 households.
2. All settlements with less than 500 households will be merged and a sensible, governable settlement
created.
3. The County Government can only provide services where the service can be utilized optimally.
4. For the 500 households, the county will build a Social Hall, an Adult School and Polytechnic, a
Kindergarten, a well-stocked Health Facility, a source of water and source of power. That is a more
viable approach to development than attempting to serve a thousand little places.
5. The County Government will also plan all settlements and ensure residents own the pieces of land
they settle in.
6. Re-organization of communities will also include creation of village and town councils that will facilitate
community participation in development. Each settlement will elect a Council with a Chairman, which
will sit once a week to look into issues affecting their settlements. The County Government will
facilitate these councils by providing them with secretariat facilities, social halls and communication
equipment. The deliberations of these councils will be channelled to the County Government through
the Ward Administrator’s Office.
7. We provide platform for traditional leaders, Council of Elders, Women leaders and Youth leaders to
participate in a formalized decision making processes at the county. The county will facilitate the
creation of a formal advisory panel consisting of formally nominated traditional leaders from each
family, women leaders elected by women groups and youth leaders nominated by the youth. The
county will provide space, monthly meeting resources and secretarial services for the advisory panel
and the County Executive Committee and the County Assembly will share their deliberations for
incorporation into County Government programmes.
Economic Recovery: Livestock production,
Farming and Water Harvesting

A. Livestock production
Wajir County requires huge investments in the county livestock sub-sector. Livestock production and
marketing at the county is substantially below its potential level.

Wajir County’s competitive advantage lies in the livestock sector and we need very minimal initiatives to
ensure optimal production. Cows, goats, sheep and camel are our bread and butter and the earlier we realize
that the better.

Despite the huge potential in the livestock sector, critical challenges and other forms of impediments are
still crippling the sector. Notable challenges facing the sector are; poor breed that cannot withstand the
adverse effects of the perennial droughts that are causing havoc in the arid regions of the country, poor
access to market opportunities due to lack of market information as well as poor processing and packaging
facilities. The inability of the livestock traders and producers to meet international standards and measures
has resulted into meagre income levels since most of the animals are locally transacted. Reduced investment
in the establishment of modern livestock marketing facilities such as livestock markets, slaughter houses,
abattoirs, and veterinary laboratories for disease monitoring and surveillance have seriously dented the
collective bargaining power of the livestock producers. This has in other way empowered the notorious
livestock middlemen who not only exploit the livestock owners but also exacerbate the process of rehabilitating
the management of the existing livestock infrastructure.

To address the above challenges, the new administration will:

1. Create a well-funded department of livestock with the necessary technical personnel and increase
the number of qualified veterinary doctors in the county.
2. Fund Research into the best practices to raise livestock production and sponsor empowerment
programmes to cascade down these practices.
3. Improved livestock breeds through local and international imported bull semen.
4. Introduce and teach the nomadic pastoralists modern methods of raising livestock that requires less
movement and space in order to increase the production of livestock in the county throughout the
seasons through livestock feed production.
5. Provide a database system for registering all livestock born in the county, any death and any trade in
order to provide timely intervention where required.
6. Engage in disease control and inculcate faster response rate to outbreak of livestock diseases.
7. Heavily invest in cottage industries in :
a. Packing meat,
b. Tanning hides and skins,
c. Value addition to meat and meat products
d. Horns and hooves processing,
e. Fresh Milk Packaging and Processing
f. Ghee production and any other processing that adds value to livestock products.
g. Production of animal feeds
8. Expand the current airstrip to accommodate cargo planes for premium animal products.
9. Expand land for raise livestock by merging settlements through a policy to abolish any settlement
with less than 500 households.
10. Completely discourage the exportation of live animals from the county and encourage the export of
processed livestock products.
11. Set up livestock cooperatives to engage in production, processing and marketing of livestock
products.

B. Farming
Wajir County produces fruits and vegetables
in significant quantities without any significant
investment by the county government. If sufficient
acreage of land is put under irrigation, agriculture
can be commercialized with the aim of producing
sufficient food for the residents of the county and
for export. In order to promote agriculture the
County Government will:
1. Setup a department of Agriculture that is
staffed by well-trained extension officers to
help serve the farmers.
2. Promote research into dry land agriculture
and appropriate agricultural technology for
the climate of the
3. Invest in cottage industries for local
agricultural products processing and
packaging.
4. Set up farmers’ cooperatives to enable the
farmers to organize themselves and market
their products. Seeds and fertilizers will be
availed through cooperatives.
5. Expand the existing markets to
accommodate farmers markets and
produce stores
6. Integrate livestock and farming and
aim for season-neutral all year round
production through training of farmers in
the management of space and resources.
C. Water Harvesting
Water is the most essential ingredient missing in North Eastern Kenya. It is plenty and flows as runoff into
the various seasonal streams and dries up. Solving the problem of water opens up the land for settlement,
ownership and reclamation for farming and industry. Water trucking is a waste of public resources, a short
term drought alleviation measure and very expensive. There has to be an engineering solution to the problem
of water; piping and pumping. The idea is to provide piped water over enormous distances and in a complex
network.

One immediate challenge facing economic recovery is that the well water is saline and has been proven to be
toxic and eventually the land will get exhausted if used for farming and growing fodder. All agricultural crops
suffer the same fate as more saline water gets into the earth. Agricultural production requires fresh water for
maximum yield

To overcome the salinity problem, we propose to:

i. To build massive earth pans for holding rain water which can be used for irrigation. This requires
massive effort and huge resources that need to be tapped from the community, donors and the
County Government. Any attempt at improving agriculture will be highly dependent on solving the
acute water problem of Wajir County.
ii. Support rain water harvesting initiatives across households by providing water harvesting tools such
as gutters and water storage tanks at a subsidized rate. The county loses thousands of litres of rain
water as result of complete lack of water harvesting practices.. The county department of Water
Services and other related ministries will be provided with enough resources to address the water
shortage. Adequate investment in the water sector is a priority issue for Salah led administration since
the county’s development depends on the ease with which the people can access fresh water for
irrigation.
iii. Institute and mainstream the best practices and technological advancement in producing fresh
water. The county government will partner and engage water engineers locally and internationally on
desalination of water in a bid to increase the county’s capacity to produce fresh water.
 Improvement of Social amenities

A. Health Care and Sanitation

i. Health Care
Wajir County Hospital and the many dispensaries built through CDF and other initiatives are either dilapidated
or lack equipment, medicine and staff. The reason for devolution in the constitution is to make the right to
quality health care a human right. It is not for lack of resources that hospitals, health centres and dispensaries
are in sorry state. In order to improve healthcare in the county, there must be dedicated staff, consistent
supply of medicines and professional management of the facilities. To achieve these important milestones
the county government will:

a. Endeavour to upgrade Wajir County Hospital to a modern referral hospital with modern equipment,
staff and medicine by outsourcing the Hospital Management to professional management team and
providing them with sufficient budget. The county will hire more doctors, nurses and other staff to
enable the main hospital and health centers function properly and serve the community better. There
will be outsourcing of the health facilities management to increase efficiency while reducing cost to
County Residents. Healthcare services to the public will still be free but it will be managed on behalf
of the county government by credible non-profit institution with experience in running hospitals. A
budget will be submitted and the authority and free hand to hire and fire staff procure medicines and
consumables and set up a system that can be used to improve efficiency will be outsourced. They
can then train managers to run the facilities. A monitoring system will be set up to gauge their level of
service delivery. Wajir County Referral Hospital facilities should deliver excellent services to the public.

b. Devolve County Ambulance Services to the Ward level to cover all parts of the county. Currently
many people fall sick very far from hospitals and have to commute to hospital in unsafe transport
system. The County Ambulance Services will work 24 hours and will be accessible through various
communication devices. And also initiate County Fire and Emergency Services which will be equipped
with modern fire equipment and rescue vehicles that will be able to respond to any emergencies.

c. Make healthcare a priority in every village and will provide medical staff to existing health facilities.
Ensure that staff posted to health centres and dispensaries actually attend to their duties as required
by their contracts.

d. Build, repair and upgrade health centers and dispensaries and equip them with appropriate equipment.
ii. Sanitation
Wajir County faces various challenges in terms of Sanitation. Bucket Latrines are still the primary toilet
facilities for household. The limited use of septic tanks has led to claims of pollution of the wells which are
the primary source of drinking water for most households. Attempts to lay a sewerage system by central
government failed and the county government did very little in terms of providing a concrete sanitation plan
for the County. Another challenge to the construction of sewerage system is the fact that there is no sufficient
water to carry effluents in a traditional drain pipe system.

In order to resolve these issues, the County Government will:

a. Appoint a Sewerage Board made of Engineers and Managers to study the problem of sanitation and
suggest an affordable and efficient solution
b. Tie the problem of sanitation to that of environmental degradation with a view to producing gas,
electricity and manure for domestic use from human waste.
c. Integrate solutions to farming challenges to the sanitation crisis with a view to using human waste,
animal droppings and plant matter to produce manure and fertilizers for production of fodder for
animals and fruits and vegetables for human consumption
d. Sensitize the population on the challenges of sanitation and the efficacy of the proposed solutions.
e. Undertake research and encourage innovation in the areas of sewage systems and alternative energy.

Other areas of improvement include:

i. Cleaning of the streets by reducing polythene and plastics pollution by banning use of polythene
paper within the county

ii. Insisting on high quality and safety in production of food and other consumables. Creating a County
Standards Agency that will ensure that food consumed in the County and products from the county
meet international standards.

iii. Monthly fumigation and other activities aimed at the control of the flies, mosquitoes and others pests
that have become nuisance to the population.

iv. Building of clean public restrooms and baths in order to provide essential facilities to the members
of the public.

B. Education
The education system in the county has many problems. Enrolment has been low; that means only 30% of
children who should be in school are actually in school. Retention is also low, it is estimated that dropout
rates as high as 50%. Progression to the higher education level is less than one per cent. The quality of
facilities, materials and teaching has been wanting. The performances in national examinations are poor and
this means the county has low manpower capability. However, primary, secondary and secondary education
is the function of Central Government. Only Early Childhood Education (ECDs) and Polytechnics have been
devolved. The County Government can still play a role by facilitating various aspects of the requirements of
quality and relevant education. The county government aims to improve access, quality and performance of
the education system by:
a. Separating pre-primary education from primary education to provide strong foundation to children
below the school going age before they join primary schools. Pre-primary education and child
development is the purview of the county while primary education is the role of national government.
The county government will take over pre-primary education and build kindergarten and pre-unit
schools in every village. All children under the age of 7 years will be required to undertake a compulsory
3 year pre-primary education as a pre-requisite for joining primary schools.
b. Expand the county vocational college with specializations in Animal Health, Veterinary Training,
Medical Training and Teacher Training especially emphasizing early childhood and special education.
This is specifically suited to satisfy the needs of the county in these areas.
 c. The county will improve by investing heavily in infrastructure in the county urban schools and other
centers of excellence to improve the performance at national examinations. The county will build a
library, laboratories and excellent study rooms and boarding facilities in these schools to bring them
up to speed with other national schools.
d. In its bid to provide tertiary skills to the thousands of youths who completed their secondary education
but failed to progress to the university due to their economic situations, the county government will
upgrade the current County Polytechnic by providing all the necessary training equipment, employ
the required teaching staff and instil a better system of enrolling the qualified students. The critical
areas of focus for county will be on plumbing, mechanics, driving, carpentry, tailoring and masonry.
These are life giving skills which any sensible government can only dream to offer and realize its
achievement. County government will also provide the upkeep of these students in order to ensure
that they successfully complete their courses without any inconvenience.
e. Build one school Boarding school and one public library in every village where none exists at the
moment. The county government will promote school attendance and completion through high quality
school feeding programs, hiring of a counsellor in every school to diagnose and arrest problems
facing young children in school.
f. Introduction of compulsory Somali and Arabic teaching in all schools from pre-primary and secondary
schools. Proficiency in one of these languages will be a requirement for obtaining bursary and
scholarships.
g. Upgrading of Koranic schools (Dugsi) and Madarasa through providing teacher salaries, providing
learning and teaching materials, upgrading facilities and integrating literacy and pre-primary projects
into their systems. The county government will promote integrated schools
h. Supporting girls by distribution of sanitary towels through Ward Administrators and Social Service
Departments.

C. Roads:
The county development is highly dependent on its accessibility. The County Government is tasked with
building and maintaining the roads within the county. Feeder roads are essential for business and for accessing
services like hospitals and government services. If roads are available achieving food security will be easier.

In order to open up the county for business and development, the county government will:
i. Improve all roads within the county to all weather status
ii. Construct and pave the streets within the county capital Wajir Town and all other major settlements to
create parking and public transport terminals.
iii. Source for funds from national and international sources and cooperate with the national government
to build the main highways passing through the County. This can be done by floating municipal bond
to raise funds. The County Governor will contact international lenders and other contacts especially
in the Middle East and Turkey to provide road building grants guaranteed by the Kenya Government.
E-Government

T
oday’s world is dependent on technology
which has made provision of services
cheaper, smarter and less bulky. This
means the idea of paperless government
where everyone can access necessary services
through online or mobile platform cheaply and
without having to travels many miles is a realistic
expectation for people today. The county will
strive to eliminate all paper from its activities
and make it a digital, virtual government
that is accessible to everyone because of its
transparency and accountability.

In order to make government services cheap and

accessible, the county government will ensure:
i. All government information and services
available on an online platform. All
transactions shall be applied for, contracted
and processed online. All certificates
applications, forms and contact with
government will be available online and
will be made easy enough using simple
applications borrowed from existing ICT
technology. Government will be an App on
each resident’s mobile phone.
ii. Government will move towards “paperless
non-printing” status within 5 years
iii. Legislation to make digital signatures and
digital passwords valid will be introduced in
the local assembly.
iv. Massive investment shall be made in
technology literacy to ensure the residents
are able to use the cheap, accessible and
reliable technology on which government
services will run.

The county government will commit itself to

becoming a tool to help the residents better their
lives. The county government also commits itself
to promoting coexistence, integration, peace
and prosperity in the county. The e-government
platform will provide a dedicated interactive
portal that will enable the residents to interact
with their government.
 Miraa Control

T
his may look unusual but it is the single most destructive habit of the Somalis living in Kenya. Just
like gambling and alcohol have destroyed the aborigines of Australia and KumiKumi and Changaa are
destroying the Kikuyu community, this narcotic has taken over the lives of promising young teachers,
civil servants and businessmen and reduced them to wrecks. Miraa brings in little or no profit while
it takes an equivalent of 5-10 million shillings every week from Wajir County’s economy. This is exacerbated
by the fact that it takes away the very energy to work, is addictive and has created a society of single
parent families led by women. Apart from affecting education, the plant has other health implications; it’s a
disaster of unimaginable proportion. Miraa also contributed to the corruption, conflict and general lack of
good leadership in the communities. Control of Miraa will free the energy of the remaining literate manpower
in the Counties into productive use, raise standards of education and increase the standards of living of many
families.
In order to Control Miraa the country government shall:

1. Impose high cess on Miraa payable before importing Miraa into the county

2. Restrict the use of Miraa near schools and public institutions’

3. Discourage public employees from getting addicted to Miraa and other harmful substances

4. Carry out educational campaign to inform people about harmful effects of Miraa and other illicit drugs

5. Establish rehabilitation wing at the hospital to manage drug addiction.

Women Empowerment

W
omen make up 50% or more of the population in our county. We need them to participate in
decision making; they have a right to influence political decisions so long as we are practicing
representative governance. This will deal with improving the social, legal and economical situation
of Women in the county. To make them confident enough to realize their voice scan be heard.
The control of their lives, Right to participate in voting and electing, social, religious and public activities,
Right for social and economical justice, equal opportunity for education and resource sharing, employment,
and the right for their voices to be heard. Support women leadership – because women are agent of change
in their families, communities and countries. Increasing the voice for participation of women in politics is
essential for advancing issues of importance to women on national agendas with benefit for both women and
man. The campaign itself, is seeking endorsement from women and youth as a groups and by-passing the
traditional patronage systems, this is empowering.

In order to empower women we have the following proposals;

a) 50% of all CEC and Chief Officer Positions should go to women. Equal employment opportunity will
be implemented for all other cadres in the county public service.

b) Budgetary allocations will favour families; in Wajir the dominant breadwinners are women. The flagship
Wajir County Welfare Services will be paid to mothers for support of children.

c) Literacy program will target all adults but emphasis will be “no woman will be left behind”.

d) Community Reorganization program will create Councils with heavy women participation. 

e) Creation of Cooperatives and Revolving Funds targeting economic empowerment of women

f) Tertiary skills training after graduation from Literacy cause to prepare women for self-sufficiency in
income generation.
 Youth Empowerment

Y
outh empowerment can take a form of programs designed to prepare children and youth to be active
members of the society as a whole in six dimensions; psychological, community, organizational,
economic, social and cultural. These programs teach to work well with peers and the older sector of
the community. There is so much beneficial outcomes to empowering our youth such as Improved
social skills, youth behaviour, academic achievements, self esteem and self efficiency. Sectors such as Youth
rights, youth councils, youth activism and their involvement in the community decision making process will
increase their output in the community as a whole.
For purpose of empowering the youth we propose the following:

a. Providing mentorship, career advice and information on opportunities available in the county

b. Strengthening youth participation in county development agenda through participation in budgeting

and project approvals.

c. Tertiary training in important skills in building technology, interior design, alternative energy (Solar,
Wind, Biogas), modern livestock keeping and health and sanitation systems.

d. The County Scholarship Fund will be established with an initial funding for specific training in
Medicine, Pharmacy, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Architecture, Sciences
and Education.

e. County Bursary Fund will also be established with initial target of funding 1000 secondary school
children annually with full four year budget.
Renewable Energy

W
ajir County is not on the national grid and too far to be connected to it in the near future. The
County is dependent on old diesel generators for supply of electricity. Other sources of energy
include charcoal and firewood. Diesel generators contribute to pollution, while charcoal and
firewood are leading to desertification. The county government has no choice but to adopt
alternative renewable sources of energy from Solar and biogas. For purpose for providing renewable,
sustainable and clean energy, the county government shall:

1. Integrate the Livestock production, Farming and Water harvesting and provision of sanitation with
provision of renewable energy so that the solution to one challenge automatically resolves the other.

2. Invest in Solar and Biogas as the most important source of energy for the county and provide
training to the youth in Solar and Alternative energy to avail skills to run renewable energy systems.

3. Ensure that Solar system is installed in all County Government facilities in the County for purpose of
lighting and operating Information and Communication technology.

4. Sensitive the population on the perils of environmental degradation and the opportunities available
in renewable energy

5. Cultivating partnerships with national government, national and international organizations in the
areas of renewable of energy.
 Research and Development,
Media and the Arts

R
esearch is the most important pillar of development. Research is intended to find solutions for
societal problems. Societies that do not engage in research will find it impossible to face the future.
Wajir County requires modern technology in livestock keeping, farming, sanitation, water harvesting,
health renewable energy and social cohesion. Research is required to come up with practical
innovations for these areas.

Wajir County has a community radio station that has contributed a lot to provision of information to
the public. This gives the county an edge over other counties in the North. The promotion of strong
independent media contributes to the strengthening of tools of accountability in the society. Media is also a
tool of promotion of the arts and culture. A community thrives when it has constant conversation with itself
and about itself and when it adopts good values from external influence.

In order to promote Research and Development, Media and the Arts, the County Government will:

1. Establish an independent Department of Research, Development, Media and the Arts.

2. Allocate 1% of County budget to Research, Development, Media and the Arts.

3. Liaise with National Council for Research, Technology and Innovation in order to promote research
at the County Level.

4. Fund one Research Chair at a public university specifically to promote research into livestock
farming in Arid Regions.

5. Provide funding and collaborations on specific areas such as livestock keeping, farming, sanitation,
water harvesting, health renewable energy and social cohesion.

6. Seek funding for establishment of research-based institution of higher learning in Wajir County with
international collaborations in research into specific areas beneficial to the county.

7. Foster partnerships with research institutions globally in order to seek affordable solutions that
enhance the standards of living in the county.
Pledge of Integrity

If the people of Wajir County elect me as their Governor in 2017, I pledge to remain faithful to ethics and
integrity as provided for in the Constitution of Kenya, The Leadership and Integrity Act (2012) and in the
oath of office. As my personal pledge of integrity, I will observe the following principles:
1. I will not change my residence which will remain my house in Wajir Town. I will not move into the
Governor’s residence, it will be used for hosting dignitaries and important meetings beneficial to the
County.
2. I will not change my form of transport will not use the official gas guzzler referred to us the
Governor’s official car.
3. I will declare my wealth on the first day of assuming office and the last day of leaving office and
account for any changes in my wealth and welfare.
4. I will not accept any personal gift from anyone in my capacity as a leader; any gift I receive will be
declared and submitted to the office.
5. I will not do business with the Country Government of Wajir myself, through proxy or any member of
my immediate family.
6. I will not use my office to solicit work for my own business or the businesses of my friends and
family.
7. I will not accept a bribe in any form and will not bribe anyone for any reason.
8. I will not practice nepotism, favouritism, tribalism and any other discrimination against a section of
the society. I will not allow the staff under my administration to practice any of these vices.
9. I will not use public property for my personal enjoyment at any time while in office, even a public
pen for writing private letters.
10. I will protect the interest of the people of Wajir County regardless of their status in society.
11. I will not fail to protect the interest of the weak in society; they are the ones that need protection.
12. I will expect my cabinet and staff to live by these principles and if they breach these moral
expectations, to leave office and face justice where they are culpable.

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BELIEVE!
Together we can.

Connect with Me:

bashanetwo

@bashanetwo

salah@salahabdisheikh.com
www.salahabdisheikh.com