He wrote this after observing the impact of bitterness in many of his investigative journalism stories. He discovered that some of the most heinous crimes and acts that led to the biggest shocking events had roots in bitterness.
Nothing captures this feeling like the current distribution of affordable fertilizer in Nyanza counties. On Friday last week, Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi released a statement claiming that the national government was denying the region affordable fertiliser.
Wandayi said his office has received reports that the government is denying Nyanza region subsidised fertiliser as farmers across the nation prepare for the onset of the short rains season.
He said farmers in Siaya and Homa Bay counties, among other areas, are fearful that the national government is hell-bent on denying them the low-cost fertiliser.
The Wandayi statement once again exposed the double speak in the leadership in Nyanza —literally speaking from both sides of the mouth
When speaking to the masses, they incite them against government policy and tell them to reject the government , saying that the Ruto administration is illegitimate and “ will be soon be kicked out”. As a result, they ask the residents in Nyanza to reject all state projects and programmes and to participate in violent actions to fight the government.
But when they come to Nairobi, they say totally different things and demand state services.
For instance, in January this year, President Moi tasked Interior PS Dr Raymond Omollo to lead the massive registration of farmers .
On January 3, the PS said farmers were going to be equipped with knowledge behind their data collection as the government moved to register them.
Speaking during the training of trainers programme launch at Kenya School of Government in Kabete, the PS said "We must equip our farmers with the information on why we are collecting their data, what it is going to be used for and also assurance that it will be kept in the right way so that then it is not subject to abuse."
In spite of all the assurance and support from the government, Nyanza leaders led by Wandayi led a massive hate campaign asking residents of Nyanza to reject the “illegitimate Ruto government”.
What was the impact? Low uptake of state programmes lie registration of farmers.
Surely, what do you expect if you ask people to stay away from registration? The purpose of registration as Omollo explained was to help in planning and logistical distribution of things like fertiliser and pesticides.
The same scenario was seen early this month when Siaya Governor James Orengo led a delegation to the Office of the Housing PS Charles Hinga to thank him for the initiation of affordable housing programme in Siaya and the construction of the ultra-modern Siaya market. Yet a month earlier, Orengo was in the forefront fighting the affordable housing programme.
We must call out this hypocrisy by Nyanza leaders. You cannot be sowing seeds of bitterness in the masses, asking them to reject state programmes, then later turn around to complain when such services fail to come due to low numbers registered.
For the country to move on, we must ask Nyanza leaders to act responsibly and encourage the masses to embrace state services. It does not help to live in denial about the leadership in the country.
It is time to stop the bitterness and join the rest of the country in moving forward.
Media consultant and CEO of Health TV Africa
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