One of the most visible and celebrated examples of devolution when it comes to infrastructure in Kenya is the 28km tarmac road in Wajir county. The town of Wajir is approximately 680km from Nairobi within a region previously referred to as the Northern Frontier.
Now here is an interesting contrast:
Whereas present-day Kenya got its first tarmac road in 1922, it took devolution for the citizens of Wajir to have their own 92 years later. This means that in terms of development infrastructure, some parts of Kenya, got a 92-year headstart when compared to Wajir.
But that is not the only issue here.
To a very large extent, this tarmac road is just a symbol of progress, and an acknowledgement of the benefits of the 2010 Constitution. But taken as a practical step towards improved transportation in that county, it has not achieved that much.
This celebrated tarmac road is but 0.5 per cent of the total road network of the county. For the rest of the county, 99 per cent of all roads, all that is available is the kind of murram road that is easily damaged during the rains, and which limits the weight of lorries that can traverse it.
And yet the sense of achievement has been at an all-time high since this road was built. We have even seen governors in some of the Northern Kenya regions invite TV crews to witness the official launch of roads of similar length.
How do you explain this?
In my opinion, what this reveals is that there are two sides to practical leadership.
One side is that of trying to deliver as much development as possible with the limited resources available. That is where you have, at the county level, bursaries and scholarships, school feeding programmes, renovation of schools and social halls, repair of roads and extension of water pipelines.
I would like to also add here microloans and empowerment grants mentored by industry players to support aspiring young entrepreneurs and provide incentives for new investors to come into the county and create jobs.
Then there is what I would call the power of example and the usefulness of symbolism.
Let us take the example of Rwanda here. We are told that Rwanda is one of the few countries with the largest percentage of women elected to parliament. To me, as a young woman with aspirations to elective office, this is a very encouraging sign.
Then we could also say that for many unemployed young Kenyans, what they need even before they get a job is hope. They need to believe that even if so far they have not been very lucky, one day they will be lucky and they will end up in employment suitable for their qualifications.
In other words, side by side with trying to provide as much development as possible, leaders must also give their people hope. Hope that tomorrow will be better than today even if things do not seem to be moving forward in the way that they want.
I think an even clearer example of this is in Universal Health Coverage, which President William Ruto is working to actualise.
This is both a practical step and the fulfilment of a dream.
I do not believe that there is any Kenyan, rich or poor, who has not at some point been asked to help raise funds for some sick friend or relative. People often end up in extreme poverty when their friends or relatives have to undergo surgery even if their person dies during the operation.
UHC is intended to put an end to this nightmare. And UHC is something we know some countries already have. And it is something we have all wanted for a very long time.
Just as the people of Wajir have longed for good roads for over 90 years.
