The creation of new administrative units in Kendubay has sparked excitement among residents, with the Muslim community saying the move will improve access to essential government services and strengthen representation.
The establishment of the new units comes after a petition was submitted by community members to the Ministry of Interior on January 27, 2023, asking for the creation of additional administrative units to bring government services closer to residents.
The government has now moved to give the Kendubay residents a location namely, Maguti Mjini Location and two sub-locations, Kanyasoro Ali and Ndiany.
The community particularly welcomed the appointment of its first Muslim chief in the area, describing the development as a historic milestone after years of feeling excluded from local administration.
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) Secretary Nuhu Abdul Masoud thanked the government for creating the administrative units, saying they would address some of the challenges that have affected Muslims in the area for years.
Masoud urged local leaders to support the new administration instead of criticizing or undermining the appointments.
He said the new units were particularly important for Muslims especially during vetting process for national identity cards, where some residents previously had experienced difficulties because of their names.
“This is a critical development for us as Muslims, especially during the vetting process for IDs. Some of our people have faced challenges because of their muslim names,” Masoud said.
He added that the new administrative structures would also create job opportunities for young people in the area.
For years, residents said they had to travel long distances to access essential government services, including registration and identification services.
Masoud further implied that the lack of a local administrative structure had affected the community during emergencies.
The area is prone to flooding during heavy rains and residents had often struggled to access government relief food. They would have depended on chiefs from other areas to channel assistance.
“With a new chief and two assistant chiefs, we will now be able to get help through them,” he said.
Said Aoko, a local resident, said the appointments had ended what he described as years of marginalisation of the Muslim community.
“We are thankful for the new unit. Previously, we had issues as Muslims because no Muslim had ever been given the position of chief. Now that we have one chief and two assistant chiefs, we are grateful to President William Ruto and PS Raymond Omollo for their efforts in ensuring that our community gets administrative units,” he said.
Muslim women have also welcomed the development, saying the new administrative structures will make government services more accessible.
“We are happy with the new location and two sub-locations created by the government. These will ensure we get services closer to us because having leadership closer means government services will also be much closer to citizens,” said Nur Atieno, a representative of Muslim women in the area.
She said women leaders would use the new administrative structure to champion the rights and welfare of women and girls.
Among the issues they plan to address are teenage pregnancy, domestic violence and the welfare of young mothers.
“We will ensure dignity and respect for young mothers and the girl child. We will educate girls about teenage pregnancy and its effects, and we will also address the issue of domestic violence,” Atieno said.
Nyandiko Ongadi, a member of Luo council of elders said the new administrative unit was a response to years of appeals from residents.
“The government has heard our cries and now we have a chief here in Maguti Nasuru Location,” Ongadi said.
Ongadi urged the newly appointed administrators to fight drug and alcohol abuse that is rampant in the area.
He further called for the new administration to be accompanied by increased development and government support, particularly for widows and orphans.
By Sitna Omar
