Northern Kenya leaders picked Finance CS Ukur Yatani as their point man and gave him the mandate to formalise the UPYA movement into a party.
The leaders from arid and semi-arid lands said they were keen to enter into a coalition with like-minded parties in the region, ahead of next years poll.
Addressing the press on Saturday after a two-day meeting in Sawela Lodge, Naivasha, the group termed the current drought as worrying as more families continue to sleep hungry.
According to Isiolo Governor Mohammed Kuti, the process of legalising the movement has kicked off ahead of the next elections.
He said they would put the political interest of the region first as they worked on a coalition.
“We have picked CS Yatani as our spokesperson and given him the nod to work with other leaders,” he said.
Kuti said that they were keen to have the region benefit from the equalisation fund, in a bid to address the ongoing drought.
“We are happy that the government has proclaimed the ongoing drought as a national disaster and allocated funds to resolve the current situation,” he said.
On his part, Yatani said that going forward they would speak in one voice in a bid to address the challenges facing the region.
The Finance CS said they would be at the negotiations table next general elections, adding that for years the region has been neglected in decision making.
“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.
Garissa Senator Abkadir Haji said that the UPYA movement would be the political platform at the national level, speaking on behalf of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya.
“As an umbrella political platform, UPYA supports the revitalisation of two-three political parties in the region, to guarantee our people the right to participate in the 2022 general election,” the Garissa senator said.
He challenged IEBC to assure the people of Northern Kenya that it had mechanisms to ensure every eligible citizen in the region was able to register despite the ongoing drought.
Eldas MP Adan Keinan noted that the drought had affected tens of families and challenged the state to hasten the process of assisting the affected families.
“Apart from drought we have deliberated on other issues and we shall no longer be flower girls in the coming elections,” he said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
