Former Cabinet Minister Linah Jebii Kilimo has called on political leaders to put the interests of their constituents first and stop using their positions to chase personal or partisan gains.
Speaking during a burial ceremony in Marakwet West, Kilimo criticised some Members of Parliament for allegedly neglecting their constituencies and only resurfacing during election seasons to woo voters.
"It is a common knowledge that some MPs spend most of their time outside their constituencies only to appear when elections are around the corner to bribe the voters to be re-elected," Kilimo said.
The former Marakwet East MP urged voters to always elect leaders committed to addressing their problems irrespective of their political parties.
"It is not political parties which address challenges facing the people but the nature of leaders we elect," Kilimo said.
She said the election of Marakwet West MP Timothy Toroitich who was vied on an independent ticket in 2022 was a clear demonstration that voters are interested in servant leadership and not political parties.
Kilimo at the same time regretted that insecurity in Kerio Valley has retarded development efforts, saying concerted efforts were key to elimination of banditry and cattle rustling incidents.
According to her, homegrown solutions remain key to attaining lasting solutions to insecuritu challenges along the Kerio Valley.
She said it is time political and church leaders as well as professionals and elders from the Kerio Valley come up with homegrown solutions that will ensure vices such as banditry and cattle rustling are stopped and neighboring communities co-exist peacefully.
Kilimo reminded the residents in the region that no outsider would help restore peace in the area if they do not do so themselves.
"It is women and children who have really suffered because of the insecurity problems. Let's come together and say enough is enough and embrace peace, " she stated.
She further called on both the national and county governments to put the development of marginalised areas as top priority in their agenda so that residents could stop relying on livestock alone for their survival as poverty has forced the youths to engage in cattle rustling activities.
Kilimo said among the long-term efforts to solve the rustling problem is to bring the region into the nation's economic mainstream.
“The national and county governments should initiate irrigation schemes and other income-generating activities along the Kerio Valley so as to uplift the lives of the people and thus stop reliance on livestock alone for their survival,” said Kilimo.
By implementing such development initiatives, Kilimo noted that the youths in the affected areas would be busy at all times and that there would be no room for acts of lawlessness.
She said when the Red Cross Kenya launched irrigation projects along the Kerio Valley of Marakwet East and Tiaty constituency between 2005 and 2013, acts of lawlessness had drastically reduced because youths were busy in farms at all times.
She noted that Kerio valley was endowed with rich agricultural soils suitable for farming activities, which if well utilized would transform the lives of the locals and the country at large.
Kilimo is credited for restoring law and order along the West Pokot and Marakwet borders during her 10 year tenure as MP from 2002-2013.
She urged leaders to work closely with the Provincial Administration and security personnel in ensuring that security is maintained in the area.
