West Pokot elected leaders have commenced preaching peace after the general elections to ensure that the residents stay in harmony. Led by area governor elect John Lonyangapuo, he asked all politicians who took part in the recent elections to accept the results and work with elected leaders to improve the lives of Kenyans.
“We have many plans that we need to implement before our term comes to an end. Violence will not help us. We need to join hands together and serve our people,” he said.
Lonyangapuo said he is ready to work with all leaders from the region to ensure that the county is fully developed since it was marginalized by past regimes.
He urged elected leaders from the region to put politics and parties aside and work as a team.
The governor elect also asked NASA to accept the results and focus on how it will be able to clinch the top seat in 2022.
“NASA should stop creating unnecessary tension in the country, they need to accept results and focus on how they will correct their mistakes,” he said.
Speaking at Kacheliba National Cereal and Produce Board, Lonyangapuo said one of his pointers in his manifesto is to ensure that the county does not depend on relief food anymore.
He said the county is among the regions with high birth rate after most of the parts, especially along the border, began realizing peace.
“Birth rate in this region is very high since we have now peace with our neighbours, as a County we need to plan on how we shall be able to get food to feed these people,” he said.
He said that he toured the NCPB with elected leaders from the region to plan how the facility will be fully operational since it was not operational since it was set up.
“This facility was set up during former president Moi regime in 1985 and it has not been fully operational. As a County leadership, we need to plan on how we shall make use of it,” he said.
The governor elect said that they will buy produce at low price from farmers during the harvesting season and distribute to hunger stricken families during the dry season.
He also said that all food that is allocated to the county by the ministry of devolution will be stored there and those who qualify to get the food will be vetted.
“The issue of politicians using relief food to gain mileage for their own good reason is over. The food will be stored here and those who qualify will receive their food from cereals located in all sub counties,” he said.
He disclosed that next year many people from the region will face starvation since the region had a total crop failure during the past planting season.
Lonyangapuo also gave an ultimatum of one week to government officers from outside the County to move to their places of work.
“Most of the civil servants don’t live here they come from neighbouring counties, I have given them one week to relocate to their respective places of work,” he said.
He said some of them never report to work for many days and this had affected service delivery in the region.