• Counties in Northeastern have remained underdeveloped because of marginalisation by previous government regimes.
• Roble says though the population of Northeastern counties is low, they should get more resources.
A Garissa official has urged the government to allocate resources according to poverty index and underdevelopment.
Finance executive Said Roble on Saturday said counties in Northeastern have remained underdeveloped because of marginalisation by previous government regimes.
The official spoke during the newly formed Inter-Ministerial Policy Steering Committee on population at a Garissa hotel.
Roble said though the population of these counties remain low, they should get more resources until they are at par with other developed counties.
He said population issues remain a major concern in Kenya because of the changing demographic dynamics. Population indicators in Garissa are, however, far above those required for a country to achieve sustainable development.
The national population growth has stagnated at 2.9 per cent. But in Garissa, the growth is 5.2 per cent, which is way above the national average.
“This has been made worse by low contraception levels because of strict religious and cultural beliefs. High levels of maternal and infant deaths in the county, coupled with other challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, religious and cultural beliefs has made it difficult to improve residents lives,” Roble said.
The executive said there is also low involvement of women in decision-making and conflicting messages from political and religious leaders.