Appoint special adviser for Northern region, MP tells Ruto

Fafi MP Salah Yakub has urged President William Ruto to appoint a special advisor for Northern Kenya.

Yakub said the person will raise pertinent issues touching on the region with the president.

“We the legislatures from the region have come to the realisation that issues we are raising with different cabinet secretaries and other senior government officials President,” he said.

"We are not saying Northern Kenya should be treated differently from the rest of the country. We are saying challenges facing the region need personal attention from the president given that we have lagged behind since independence."

Yakub spoke in Bura East town when he issued bursary cheques to secondary schools in the areas.

He said some of the issues they want the president to address include, education, security, infrastructure and agriculture.

We have many issues in Northern Kenya that need to be tackled by the government. As leaders we have a lot of ideas on how these problems can be solved. Our biggest problem is the link with the presidency and the leaders," Yakub said.

He said Ruto should appoint a special advisor now, the same way he did when he was the president.

"We know that when he was the Deputy President he had an advisor for Northern Kenya. It is the same thing that we are requesting. The person should be in his office so that we can have a talk with him as opposed to dealing with different CSs,” Yakub said.

He said the Ruto led administration will fully exploit the region's unexploited potential.

“This is one region that is sitting on minerals, this area has the gem for land, very expensive parcels of land for farming," Yakub said.

He said he was determined to make sure the Zero Fees programme succeed.

The legislator thanked school heads for heeding and not sending students with school fees arrears back home.

‘We thank all those who have cooperated with us. No kid has been sent home. We have completed a year with no hiccups at all. Now the teachers can concentrate on the learning bit and not the monetary aspect," he said.

He thanked Ruto for acting on recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform.

The working party suggested the removal of the subject cluster combination.

He said the CDF kitty will fully pay school fees for the 35 students who joined Garissa Teachers College.

“In two years time we will not be talking about teachers shortage. As we speak now most schools especially those in border towns are run by a single teacher. The standards of education given to the learners is greatly compromised," Yakub said.

Abdi Sugow an elder in the area thanked the MP for the programme saying it has improved school enrollment.