MERU COUNTY HEADQUARTERS

There are times when I really get amused by the antics of some of  my friends and fellow Kenyans in general, particularly when we spend lots of time discussing something as trivial as the siting of  the headquarters of a newly created administrative area. Actually, I laugh about it, which I think is cathartic and let it pass as a  non-issue.This now brings me to the merits and demerits of  the headquarters of the new Meru county which I think is ridiculous and pointless. However, before this, let's look at a bit of history which may help clarify some myths and untruths.
Some time back, we had a President in this country called Daniel Moi who made a name by dissecting this nation into small and smaller administrative units, I suppose, depending on which side of the bed he woke and this alone occupied our idle minds in endless debates on wheres and whereofs. But what many didn't realize was that Mr Moi was perfecting what the colonialists and gifted President Kenyatta earlier on and all future presidents until the promulgation of the new constitution this year. The colonial government dismembered this country into ugly units so that people could view one another as enemies and thus make it easier to rule a divided and fighting lot.
When President Moi took the reigns of power upon the death of Kenyatta, he promised to continue in the latter's footsteps (Nyayo) and the least we expected was the further division of the country to foment  suspicion between communities and the common inter-ethnic clashes that epitomized  his twenty four years at the helm. What many ordinary Kenyans didn't realize was that the subdivisions were not in any way helping in the delivery of service but instead they increased the number of rent-seekers ("Grigori Rasputins" ) who used their unique connections to supply merchandise and also awarded tenders for construction of  the headquarters of the new administrative units at obscenely inflated prices, never mind new ones would be created before the completion of the previous one. The other obvious beneficiaries were the people who would get jobs as Provincial Administrators and using the dreaded Chiefs Authority Act, they used their positions to subjugate citizens and and mint lots of money which made them fabulously wealthy. As we embark on the implementation of the new Constitution, it is utterly absurd to see citizens once more start haggling over boundaries and new headquarters, which unfortunately,  shows that old habits really die hard.
The new constitution sets up 47 new counties and talks through night and secret meetings, facilitated by the defenders of the status quo, have started in earnest to apportion the positions created so that they don't go into the "wrong" (read reformers) people. In the case of the new Meru County, the debate is on siting the headquarters at the desolate Nchiru Market, with virtually no amenities to house such an important office and the modest but well equipped Meru town with everything a Kenyan town can boast of. The only clincher in the choice of Nchiru Market is that it houses the "seat" of the traditional Meru Council of elders, which is a misnomer and needs correction.
In the Meru tradition, mature men were inducted into the premier organizations of "Kiama" and "Njuri Ncheke" , and the two  can be interchanged depending on the part of Meru one comes from. They set cultural norms and mores  which guided the everyday life of the community. The organizations were housed in temporary structures but permanent sites (Nyumba cia Kiama) which were found in every village. The meetings and inductions for new members was done seasonally and particularly after good harvests and NEVER during drought or famine. The Kiama and Njuri Ncheke  played the pivotal role of supplying the fighters and the logistical support to the Mau Mau during the war of liberation. This incensed the colonialist very much and he had to find ways to cut this traditional premier organization  to size.  So, to kill the Kiama/Njuri Ncheke once and for all, the colonial regime with the assistance of the chiefs mobilized resources to construct the modern edifice at Nchiru Market to conform to modernity and Christianity. Thus, the idea to construct the "Njuri Ncheke" building at Nchiru market was mooted and the first task after completion  was a meeting  to end female circumcision and demarcate the community boundaries of Imenti/Tiania, Tiania/Tharaka and Tharaka/Imenti. The "Elders" who were handpicked and directed by the colonial chiefs to demarcate the boundaries did such a mess in the whole exercise such that it will probably take many generations to rectify. This is why there remains disputes to date with frequent flashes resulting in deaths and destruction of property. The current leadership of the so called "Njuri Ncheke" is composed of former colonial administrators and their descendants who are also leaders in the local Methodist Church. This is the reason why there are frequent  wrangles  within the leadership because few if any have actually been inducted into the Kimeru Kiama. The present "Njuri Ncheke" leaders are actually rent-seekers who are there for self aggrandizement and to serve political and other interests as they masquerade as elders representing the Meru community.
In conclusion, therefore, it beats common sense why we should haggle over the siting of the headquarters at the desolate Nchiru Market, where we would have to start building from scratch, as opposed to the ready Meru Town, and thereby save the money for use in other urgent community services such provision of food to the hungry, building of classrooms and provision of water. The people of Meru should realize that the county was not created so that everybody could have a chance to  hug the Governor every morning but to bring in a new system of government to deliver efficient and prompt service to all regardless of the location of the head-office. That's the bottom-line!