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Will TSS call the shots again?
By FRED OLUOCH
Lamu District
Monday, April 8, 2002
http://www.nationaudio.com/elections/constituencyreviews/Constituences_LamuEast4.html
The overriding question in Lamu
District is whether the gripping influence of powerbroker Twahir Sheikh Said,
commonly known as TSS, will work in favour or against the political interests
of Kanu.
A business tycoon with
wide-ranging interests in virtually the entire coastal region, TSS has for a
long time been calling the shots in Lamu, where his preferred slate of
candidates are normally assured of winning.
In the last election, the winners,
assistant minister for local government Mohammed Hashim Salim Fumo (Lamu East)
and Mr Fahim Yasin Twaha (Lamu West), benefited immensely from his backing.
The duo are still enjoying his support and are careful not to rub him the
wrong way despite growing criticisms that they lack courage to stand on their
own feet.
In separate interviews last week,
both Mr Fumo and Mr Twaha, who is also TSS's son-in-law, conceded that the
support is going to be crucial in their re-election bid, but insisted they had
"matured" politically.
Thus indications are that things
might go TSS's way in the absence of a strong candidate to challenge his firm
grip on Lamu politics. Already, there is a growing resentment among other
aspirants over what they perceive as TSS's belief that nothing can happen in
Lamu district without his authority.
Notably, a number of aspirants in
Kanu who had earlier shown interest are backing out, aware that the party
tickets will go to TSS candidates. As a result, Opposition parties with some
presence in the district, such as the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP),
Ford-People and, of late, the unregistered Saba Saba Asili, are hoping for a
major fallout during the Kanu primaries.
Lamu, unlike the neighbouring
districts, has always been placid, with political consciousness and activism
quite low. When not grappling with the myriad of problems facing the district,
residents are more concerned with day-to-day survival. Most MPs have usually
had a quiet tenure until polls draw near.
This time round, however,
political temperatures are likely to rise in the district that encompasses a
group of islands – Pate, Manda and Lamu – over the presence of a large
settler community from upcountry, who are seen to be enjoying better
facilities at the expense of locals.
In the spotlight is the Kikuyu
community at Lake Kenyatta Settlement Scheme in Mpeketoni Division, Lamu West
constituency, who constitute a huge voting block.
Settlers enjoying better
facilities
The indigenous population
complains that the settlers enjoy facilities such as piped water and health
facilities. To top it all, they possess the precious title deeds while the
indigenes have been fighting for the same without success. Other settlement
schemes include Hindi, Witu and Mhamarani.
The main ethnic groups in Lamu
district are the Bajuni (the majority), Boni, Orma, Pokomo, Sanye, Giriama,
Barawa and Bohra community – who trace their roots to the Indian
sub-continent.
Ethnic tension aside, the
dilapidated Garsen-Witu Road that is the lifeline of Lamu district will be a
major campaign issue, with the Opposition hoping to take Kanu head-on over it.
The road is yet to recover from damage inflicted by the 1997/98 El-Nino rains
and is often impassable during rainy seasons as the River Tana breaks its
banks and cuts off large sections, especially at Gamba.
Both Kanu and the Opposition will
also have to content with the fact that virtually all income generating
activities in the district, ranging from fishing to tourism, have experienced
steady decline in recent years. Hard hitting is a slump in tourism, the
lifeblood of the economy.
It does not help matters that the
Government is yet to lift a ban on large-scale harvesting of mangrove trees
for export, an activity that was the livelihood of thousands of residents.
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