WAIKENDA: Mt Kenya should not be shortchanged

Once upon a time, a fox fell into a well, and though it was not very deep, he found that he could not get out again. After he had been in the well a long time, a thirsty goat came by. The goat thought the fox had gone down to drink, and so he asked if the water was good.

The sly fox said it was the finest and told the goat to jump in. The thirsty goat immediately jumped in and began to drink. The fox just as quickly jumped on the goat's back and leapt from the tip of the goat's horns out of the well. This is the classic danger of not thinking before one leaps.

Last week, there were two significant events that underscore the importance of the Mt Kenya region to the 2022 election matrix.

ODM leader Raila Odinga met Mt Kenya leaders mostly from Meru and Tharaka as he continues to seek the region's support.

Over the weekend, Deputy President William Ruto held a three-day retreat with Mt Kenya politicians allied to his side for the same purpose.

Since the return of multiparty politics in 1992, Mt Kenya has never sat out an election. And while the region has no strong contender for the top seat, it will not be sitting out the 2022 election.

More than one-third of the Kenyan votes are from the region and its diaspora in Rift Valley. The significance of this cannot be wished away.

This is the reason every top presidential contender is seeking to make significant inroads in the region, with whose undivided support one gets to be president easily.

Other than having a high number of votes, the region has been highly underrepresented despite being one of the areas with the highest economic contribution to the national cake.

It is all good for presidential contenders to woo the region since we are a democratic country, but there are two important issues that those being called to the table by the various politicians must put in mind.

The first is that there are a number of key projects that President Uhuru Kenyatta has started in the region and which may not be completed before he leaves office next year.

It is the duty of Mt Kenya politicians who are meeting the top presidential contenders to underscore that the region will not allow these projects to be white elephants.

Besides the physical projects, there are policy issues that Uhuru has initiated. These include reforms in the tea and coffee sectors that have for years been the backbone of the region’s economy.

All these must be protected from possible sabotage or lack of commitment from any future government.

The economic future of Mt Kenya, just like the rest of Kenya, must be a key priority in all the political talks that top presidential candidates are holding with the region.

The second issue is that Mt Kenya politicians must guard against the possibility of selfish and individual interests overshadowing the negotiations.

We must be honest and say that it is clear that some of those seeking audience with the region and those from the region seeking audience with the presidential contenders are actually in it for selfish reasons.

It is therefore important that the region guards against such moves from both sides to ensure that it is not shortchanged.

Everyone must come to the negotiation table with clean hands and with a clear mind that Mt Kenya must be treated as an equal in the 2022 election talks.

Having been at the helm for four presidential terms, the region has more to lose if those seeking to negotiate with Mt Kenya politicians act with mischief and short-change it.

Mt Kenya is welcoming all presidential candidates to pitch their agenda but the region’s representatives must be careful not to be like the goat that jumped into the well without thinking of the repercussions.