Elmi meets minorities and non locals, promises inclusivity

Wajir governor candidate Mohamed Elmi has promised minorities and non locals residing in Wajir equal opportunities under his government.  

Addressing the group in Wajir town when he met them as he wind up his campaigns, Elmi who is vying on an independent ticket said his campaign model has been based on inclusivity in his government promising to ensure that is realized.

The minorities in Wajir include the Murule, Rahweyne, Harti, Marehan and non locals.

The main communities in the county are the Degodia, Ogaden and the Ajuran.

For a long period, the minorities have complained of the tribulations they have had to undergo since devolution come into place saying that they have been  sidelined and not considered when job opportunities arise and when tenders and contracts are awarded.

The former CAS and two term  Tarbaj MP said his interactions with the minority communities in the county show the huge gap that exists between the major communities and the minorities in terms of access to opportunities in the county.

According to Elmi, all communities residing in the county whether big or small should be treated equally without nepotism or biasness.

“Wajir belongs to all of us.it is home to many communities of Kenya. In my administration I want to promise that I will break the boarders of tribe and class and create one land of an empowered population,” said Elmi.

He added: “I want to assure all communities residing in Wajir that I will strive to distribute development projects fairly among sub-counties and localities through the implementation of ward development fund and take services to the last mile."

Elmi who throughout his campaigns has emphasized on ending corruption said people will always feel marginalized when they are not being treated equally.

“What is happening is that corruption has been left to thrive with kickbacks becoming the order of the day where the so called major communities call everything amongst themselves at the expense of the minorities. this is not only immoral but unacceptable,” he said.

Elmi said that unlike some of his competitors who had the opportunity to lead but performed poorly ,he  was the only one with a proven track record in public service.

For the people of Wajir county, the choices have never been clearer: it is between rewarding 10 years of failure and starting afresh and fixing our problems. We must press the reset button and restore public trust,” he said.

Elmi said his administration establish model ECD centers in each sub-county Make ECD centers child friendly and  hire and train 250 ECD teachers.

He further promised to allocate more money for bursaries per year to support students from poor backgrounds.

Elmi further used the opportunity to make a clarion call on voters in the county to come out in large numbers and vote on Tuesday.

“I encouraged our supporters to come out in large numbers and vote on 9th August to bring the change we want. I also thanked the residents for their commitment to help me win and lead our county in a transparent way,” he said.

On Friday, Elmi while accompanied by his running mate Hassan Wardere resorted to his strongholds of Tarbaj where he made a clarion call on the electorates to come out in large numbers and vote for him in the Tuesday polls.

Elmi who is among the front runners for the seat crisscrossed the vast constituency said that meaningful change can only be realized through the ballot where the electorates have an opportunity to elect leaders of their choice.

Elmi comes from the vote rich Fai sub clan of the larger Degodia community. The race has attracted eight candidates.

The campaigns are slated to end today in the evening.