NEW APPROVAL TO POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN RANGWE BY JUMA AWUOR

From: Peter Awuor

Rangwe Constituency is one of the poorest constituencies in Kenya. As it stands now, the poverty index is the highest in South Nyanza in general and Homa Bay District in particular.

The constituency is blessed with so many resources that have not been exploited. These can be enumerated as :-

(1)      Fish from Lake Victoria
(2)      Cotton Farming
(3)      Pineapple Farming
(4)      Literate Population
(5)      Tourism Potential
(6)      Human Resources

Problems in Rangwe Constituency

The constituency has not developed at par with the development that has been seen in the other parts of the country because :-

(a) Fishing has not been developed. The method of storage and marketing put fishermen at a disadvantaged position.

(b) Agriculture has not been developed and thus poverty has compromised efforts of upcoming farming. Lack of funds means that high yielding varieties and fertilizer cannot be accessed by poor farmers.

This is a worrying situation and funds must be sourced to be given to farmers as grants to jump-start the economy of the constituency.

(c) Lack of income generating activities has caused widespread poverty. Poverty has impacted negatively in the performance of children at school. Learning facilities are in short supply and increasing enrollment is overstraining them.

To liberate Rangwe Constituency from the yoke of poverty and under-development, I have proposed a new political leadership that is action oriented and people oriented, as follows :-

Farming and Agriculture

(a) There will be a grant to farmers on Pilot basis. These farmers, identified based on their past and present records, will access non-refundable grant that they will use to implement scientific methods of farming for commercial purposes. The rest will follow. This is called leading by example.

(b) There will be another grant given to farmers in general to buy high yielding seeds and fertilizers so that the output of food and cash crop grows. This will make the constituency an exporter of food to neighboring constituencies.

(c) The constituency development project team will ensure the produce gets market at competitive rates. This will eradicate poverty at a very fast rate.

(d) Rangwe Constituency lags behind in livestock production. It will be upon the political leadership to set a fund that will finance the transition from traditional cattle to graded cattle. This will be done such that there will be gradual transfer that enables farmers to adapt with the assistance of veterinary field extension officers, the management of graded cattle. The implementers are farmers.

(e) Specialize scientific farming such as :-

- Pineapple farming            |  This will be given special
- Soya beans farming         |   attention as they are capable
- Stick worm farming         |   of earning high income to the
- Fish farming                    |    constituency

Education

Education is the key to development and growth of any society.

My mission is to produce and develop sharp individuals that will earn the constituency high Revenue.

(a) I will develop centres of academic excellence "regionally" in the constituency. These centres of excellence will offer what high cost academics are able to offer in towns. My constituency will attract children form other constituencies to come and study in these school as borders paying fees while our children will be studying as day scholars free.

(b) I will set up a special education Bursary fund drawn from C.D.F for talented students from poor families. This will be completed for and the only qualification is to be "the best" in your school and secure admission in a prestigious national or provincial school. Education is the beginning of Development and constituency bursary fund cannot afford to fund it effectively at the current rate.

(c) Every school in my constituency will have a clean water supply. This will be done by drilling bore holes or using pipes where the supply can be reached easily.

(d) The bursary will be given in a realistic way. All deserving children will get in school and according to what percentage they requested. Since my record of development will be people driven, I will encourage parents and guardians to state the percentage of school fees they want to pay by bursary.

(e) Housing of teachers is a factor that will have to be tackled. Parents and teachers will have to be encouraged to pull resources together with the help of C.D.F to build teachers houses so that the teachers operate within the school and have time for research and teaching extra time.

Health And Medicine

As it stands now, there is a government policy that provides free medicare.

Our people are not benefiting fully from this policy because there are no Dispensay Clinics. I have vision that there will be clinics in every sub-location in Rangwe Constituency to enable the local communities access free medical care. This will also release excess pressure on Homa Bay District Hospital.

I will ask the government to consider building without support of CDF funds, a big health Centre in at the border of Gem and Kagan to bring health services closer to the two clans.

Because clear water supply is a contributor to good health, my efforts will be directed to drilling of Bore holes and Building of dams to harvest rain water that can support our people during the dry seasons.

If all this has been done, I will have to find ways of easy communication where by access roads must be built through harambee and government must give his own people support, it all is done markets will come by itself .

PAMOJA, PAMOJA WE WILL ACHIEVE AND DEVELOP RANGWE !

I look forward to getting the support of our people so that they can have a change in a political leadership for new life, by votting me as your m.p 2007.