Riombagi spring in Nyamaiya ward, Nyamira County has been in a bad state over the years and residents have had to contend with it with pain.
The water source serves several residents who use banana barks to direct water to their containers.
Due to the unhygienic condition of the spring, locals have deserted it and are fetching water from Gesiaga spring, several metres away.
Egetari-Marara, Motontera-Eramani, Riamamisa – Bogesinsi roads that have never been graveled also show the poor state of connectivity across the ward.
Some of these roads were manually dug but have never been upgraded to murram status.
This makes transport to and out of some of these villages an unbearable journey, more so during the rain seasons.
These two realities have ignited youthful Information Technology expert, Patrick Mose Nyabayo, to join the race of seeking the people’s mandate to be the Member of County Assembly (MCA) in the next general election.
In his youthful age, Mose looks at leadership as a God given opportunity to lead people and help them achieve measurable goals for a given period.
Mose, the last born in a family of seven is a graduate of Information Communication Technology (ICT).
He currently lectures at Elgon View College in the same field with a bias in online applications and software development.
Change agent
Armed with hope, Mose feels there is little that has been done in the ward while in essence there is so much to be accomplished while time is nigh.
“Close to ten years of devolution, there are seen gaps that warrant change of leadership in Nyamaiya on matters representation.
That is why the people have decided to embrace change and that change can be actualized by me,” promises Mose.
“Agriculture is the backbone of the people here in Nyamaiya with tea as a major economic earner but there is little that can be seen coming out of people’s sweat from their input. What the people need is revised skills on produce, value addition and improved variety on whatever they plant or rear,” he says.
“With water from natural springs and the rain water that falls almost all seasons, our people can practice fish farming, for example. I would love to see young people, who have the energy to work, delve into these venture with the assistance of technical officers from the county government.”
Aware that youth lack finances, Mose says all this can be actualized if the people come together and form saving and credit organizations through which they can be empowered.
“Some youth and women form and join these SACCOS but have no clue on how to gain from them. If given a chance, I would initiate working groups from where people would meet, share ideas and tap skills form resourceful people whom I can invite to educate them. This is the only way to expand our thinking and grow money through ideas,” notes Mose.
All gender included
With the growing stereotype that women are left behind and that all efforts are geared toward uplifting them, Mose believes that no gender should be left behind in decision making and in earning an income for the family.
“As we support women empowerment, let us all remember that both gender need the attention of everybody more so the political leadership,” he says.
He adds that he would love to see everybody in the society uplifted economically because he will represent them all in the County Assembly.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in 2018 recorded Nyamaiya ward with 18 polling stations while registered voters were 14,547 and the eligible voting population was 17,958.
The ward has five major sub clans that include Bomanyanya, Bokiambori, Bonyaiguba, Bomabacho and Miruka. These five clans vote in different ways.
“In my economic plan, I would love to see that men, youth and women from across the ward’s five major clans join hands to support one another and that each will benefit from any incentives available from the government,” notes Mose.
“I know the value of forming SACCOs because I belong to one that I helped form in 2019. With discipline, and regular saving, membership has grown tremendously to the effect that non-members are borrowing from it,” he says.
Opportunities galore
Another security to the people’s pockets is bee keeping and vegetable exporting through driers where farmers can be supported to work in groups so that they manage these ventures.
These, he says, can earn the people of Nyamaiya a decent income.
He says through value addition, these produce becomes competitive in the market.
During the 2018/19 financial year, the County government of Nyamira initiated a project to improve poultry products for poverty reduction.
It also initiated bee keeping for increased income in Nyamaiya and other wards but the major challenge indicated in the report is that the projects were not appropriated.
Mose says that such indications show lack of commitment to helping the people and if elected, he will make necessary follow up to implement them.
Mose notes that the dire need that feeder roads are in, making it impossible for the locals to access markets and other public amenities in a timely manner.
“Our region gets heavy amount of rain and we expect these roads to wither more often. In my leadership, I would love to see much resources allocated to roads in every financial year for repair and opening of new roads,” says Mose.
“Markets like Masosa, Nyamaiya and Miruka need to be upgraded and properly fenced. Our people need to be appreciated by building good structures for their safety and comfort. Remember the County government collects revenue from them hence the need to give back to them in terms of services,” he adds.
While conserving the environment remains a major challenge for the government and amongst the people, Mose pleads with residents to be observant to the adverse effects of climate change and the threats thereof.
“Our natural springs are dying out slowly while others that were permanently flowing are now seasonal. I would love to help people bring change in the way they do things and how they interact with the environment for example, with the using alternative energy to cook and scaling down on the planting of Eucalyptus trees along rivers,” says Mose.
In its programme based budget for the financial year 2021/2022, the County government of Nyamira has allocated Ksh.1, 120,000 for spring protection across Nyamaiya ward.
He proposes that once in office, he would help push for the creation of quarterly education forums through the Public Participation and Civic Education docket so that people are made aware of contemporary developments in society.
Through these forums, he believes that he will be able to get concerns, responses and even solutions from the people on matters development and representation.
“Leadership is easy as long as you reach the people, get to provide solutions to people’s concerns and involve them in decision making,” he notes.
Education for all, with bias on talents
“Now that I am schooled and skilled, I would like to see fellow youth, and even the middle aged who would love to learn a skill get a chance to learn through the vocational centers,” he says.
“I would lobby for the equipping of ECDE centres across the ward, allocate bursaries according to need and help equip Vocational training centers.”
He adds that the youth have talents which need to be tapped and nurtured on a continuous basis with bias in online jobs as a major source of employment.
To actualize this, he says he would help allocate finances to these vocational centers for internet installation so that students would access the ‘world’ and learn more.
With billions projected for development and recurrent for the 2021/2022 financial year, Mose says the health sector is in dire need for more resources.
“If the people give me a chance, I would lobby for more resources to Nyamaiya on need basis. It is the people who propose what goes where, so I would ask for more through them,” says Mose.
He believes that the people of Nyamaiya will not regret if they choose him because by voting for him, they will have chosen a leader they deserve.
PICTORIAL
