Majimbo, Federal, Ugatuzi; call it what you want!

I have read so many articles here and in some other Medias about this “Majimbo” subject. It seems that a noble system like this has been misunderstood by a wide majority of those opposing it as well as those Kenyans who have been unfortunate not to get external exposure of such systems. It is surprising that even a good number of people in ODM still are hazy on the subject. Some are equating it with CDF, while others are just mentioning the word Devolution then stopping there, since they have not pictured what form of Governance this system will take or is all about.
 
Let me take this opportunity to try to EXPAND the true meaning of Majimbo or a Federal System. I will try to be as simple as possible. I also must warn the reader that my English language is limited. It is just but a third language of communication for me. Therefore I might miss some of those eloquent words to describe a scenario or situation.
All said and done, I trust that what I will explain here is what is envisioned by PENTAGON and all the majestic people behind ODM.
 
Let us start from the very beginning. Let go ahead and break it
In bits
1.      MAJIMBO:-    Meaning a group of Jimbos (Many Jimbos)
2.      JIMBO:-          An area of Governance comprising of a community or many  of them. The communities can be any number from 1 to 1000 or more depending on the population densities. Therefore the determinant as to the number of “Communities” in a Jimbo will depend primarily on this factor. In other words there has to be a certain limit or ceiling of the populace for effective governance.
3.      “COMMUNITY”; This has nothing to do with tribe at all. Community in a Federal System simply means, a group of people living in a particular, designated, or  certain area, whose numbers are designed by the Government or Local authority  purely for administration purposes. Thus if the Government /Local Authority designs the Community to comprise of for example 3000 people, then this number is the one which will form one Community. These people will thus have Administrative Leaders to make sure that effective government services are rendered to these 3000 people. So then, the number of Communities which will form a Jimbo will be pegged on, first density of population, then the targeted government ceiling aimed at effective service delivery
 
Let us take one Kenyan Province, say Central Kenya for instance. First we have to know how many people are in that province. Secondly we have to know, the concentration pattern of the population. Certain areas will have high population densities than others. The number of Communities here will then be decided in regard to the population densities.
Now Let us assume that an area like Muranga be referred as a JIMBO, while its sub areas like MUTHITHI, KANGARI, SABA-SABA, NDARAGWA, Kangema, be referred as “COMMUNITIES”. We can then look at the population and imaginary boundaries. If those in Kangari are more than the other Communities, then more administrative centers must be availed for the Kangari Community and vise versa.
 
From the scenario above, we can now see a Jimbo. All what is remaining is the Government and how it will channel its services to this Jimbo. This Jimbo can then go ahead and elect their representatives who will regularly meet at Muranga Town hall to discuss issues like, Education, Security, Investments, Agriculture and food production, Job creation in the Tea and Coffee factories which they already have, Road construction and Maintenance, Youth Affairs, Senior Citizens, Transportation, Law enforcement, judiciary and many many others that affect that JIMBO. The representatives will then come up with a budget to be presented to the Central Government. The central Government then disburses funds to the Local government running the MURANGA JIMBO. It will then be upon MURANGA  Jimbo to prioritize how to spend the money, whether to pump all of it in education or piping water, or electrification, or roads, or building more courts to deal with burglary, corruption, petty thieves, roughnecks in Sabsaba etc, will depend on what the people want.
 
At the end of the fiscal Year, the Government of MURANGA JIMBO will do its returns and submit that Year’s expenditure to the Central Government to qualify for more funding. The Auditor General of Muranga Jimbo will audit the Jimbo's Accounts. While at the same time the Central Government also will send its auditor to audit those Muranga Jimbo's accounts.
 
Now take this scenario and replicate it in every province, and district in the Kenya Majimbo Government. It can only mean one thing and that is …………. “Faster Growth.” There would be no way the Jimbo of ISIOLO, IJARA, MARSABIT and MOYALE, GARSEN, TANA RIVER , can fail to have passable roads when they have funds to do it. Nor will KWALE, KILIFI, UKUNDA, TAVETA, MALINDI or LAMU Jimbos fail to Generate employment for the youth, or settle “Squatters” when they have funds to do it.
Jimbos in Nyanza and Western Kenya will no longer be poor with all those Sugar, cotton, banana, Tea, coffee, Fisheries industries and Agricultural potential in these two provinces (States/Jimbos). And do you think that their Roads will be dilapidated as they are now?
 
The world has a large market for consuming Fish and Bananas, do those from Kisii reach the world market? How about the Fish, do we have a processing plant in Kisumu or Mbita point? And do the farmers or the “Fishers” reap the full benefit of their fish? The answer is NO. Those who benefit currently are from another Jimbo called Nairobi . But with Devolution the full benefit will go to the “FISHERMAN” and his JIMBO same with Banana and all other products from the Jimbo. Every Jimbo will reap the full benefit of its potential
 
We will no longer hear of Raiders from the Jimbo of Pokot transgressing into another Jimbo of MARAKWET to kill or maim and disappear with cattle. Should that happen then a SODMART(Special ODM Army Response Team) will be dispatched from the nearest Army base to deal with that situation and to arrest all the perpetrators, before they can be tried at once and be sent to jail for murder. Quick justice! Peace will prevail all over the country
 
If you still cannot see the picture of how Majimbo System will work then let me summarize it here that;
a)     Kenya can be divided into several Administrative or Governance areas.
b)      These areas can be called States or Jimbos
c)      The areas will administratively be governed by a group of representatives elected into office by the people or the voters
d)      The base of their operation money in running the affairs of the jimbo will come from the Central Government, according to the budget they will have presented to the central Government.
e)      It will be upon these representatives to uplift the standards of living and the general social well being of the people in the Jimbo irrespective of color or language
f)        The primary goals to be achieved after certain number of years will have been set by the Central Government, be it eradication of illiteracy, poverty, Corruption, or “Usanbazaji wa maji,” Ukarabati na ujenzi wa barabara mpya, or creation of employment and provision of Shelter and many more. Every Jimbo will be required to meet these targets from budget allocation coming from the CG.
 
Now then if This “MONSTER CALLED DEVOLUTION” (UGATUZI), is meant to bring development to the people, by bringing the Government closer to them and not just out there in NAIROBI , then how come some people are demonizing it? The Answer might lie in IGNORANCE, or worse still it might lie with a CORRUPT mind set on continuance of looting the country Kenya, while the majority (the Citizens), remain poor.
Next time you meet someone demonizing Devolution, know that he/she is part of that “CORRUPT MIND,“ determined to make you the Kenyan, stay poor while they loot. Be wary of them, they are cheats.
 
IF someone ever asks you to vote on a referendum for a jimbo System, go full blast and vote a yes. I have lived in a Jimbo System called the Federal Government of the USA for the last five years, and I can tell you it is so efficient it is unbelievable. It works 100%
 
Thank you for staying awake while  reading about this Majimbo issue.
 
Owino Konyiego