Ukur Yatani (R) with Parliament Majority leader Aden Duale. [Photo/the-star.co.ke]
Marsabit Governor Ukur Yatani has clarified why he ditched opposition party ODM which sponsored him during the 2013 election.
Yatani said he left ODM because he felt the Orange party had not done anything to address the plight of the people in the region.
He said Kenya’s ‘big’ parties- Jubilee and ODM have also not paid attention to winning seats in the arid county.
Yatani left ODM in March 2017 and joined newly launched Frontier Alliance Party (FAP) which supports President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reelection.
He left ODM alongside four MPs, 25 MCAs and over 300 elders representing the 15 communities living in the far-flung county.
The legislators who decamped with him included Roba Duba (Moyale), Chachu Ganya (North Horr), Joseph Lekuton (Laisamis) and Women Representative Nasra Ibrahim.
The county chief said there was adequate wealth in the county owing to the large numbers of livestock kept by farmers but said residents do not have a force to push for their agenda. He said FAP will help cattle keepers push for their economic plan.
“It is time the communities spoke for themselves,” he said.
Marsabit, according to the 2009 Population Census report has a population of 291,166. Most of the county’s residents are cattle keepers.
“When we were in the opposition, we were marginalised and were not given an equal opportunity in the party because they said we had no numbers,” he said.
“We will support Uhuru’s reelection because that is the wish of the people living in this region. The people were impressed with the recent development projects that had taken more than 50 years to be implemented; among them is the Isiolo-Moyale highway.”