Residents of Witu in Lamu reject new chief, lock his office

Residents of Witu in Lamu West have barred a chief who was recently appointed by the national government to serve in the area from accessing his office.

Speaking to Nation shortly after locking the chief’s office on Sunday, the angry locals threatened to send the chief away by force if he is spotted going about his duties in the area.

Mr Simon Macharia, who is a former assistant chief of Soroko Sub-Location, was promoted to the position of senior chief for Witu Location earlier February.

But residents have rejected the appointment saying the chief is not a native of Witu and that it will only be proper if the government considers selecting another individual from the area to hold the position.

DEMONSTRATIONS

On Friday, over 300 resident of Witu and its environs staged a major demonstration aimed at pushing the government to immediately remove the chief.

During the demonstrations which lasted for an hour, businesses in Witu Town were interrupted as the angry residents danced and screamed as they protested along the streets of the town.

The protesters who were carrying branches and placards with the message “Macharia Must Go”, also matched to the assistant county commissioner’s office where they presented a petition demanding the immediate removal of the chief.

They had also vowed to continue with the demos until their complaints are heard and action taken.

On Sunday, some of the residents kept guard at the chief’s office which is in Witu Town.

“We are very much alert. We don’t want to see Mr Macharia here. He is an outsider and cannot lead us,” said Mr Bwanamkuu Fumo who is a youth leader in Witu.

REJECT 'OUTSIDER'

Mr Omar Fuad said Witu residents will not allow “an outsider to rule them”.

Mr Fuad also cautioned the government against imposing a chief from a different community, and who is not a native of Witu, on them.

“I wonder why the government insists [on] sending Macharia as chief of Witu. We have very many candidates who applied and qualify for the job within Witu. Why did the government decided to pick a foreigner?

“The government is trying to play smart with us having previously imposed the same individual to serve [in] Soroko as an assistant chief. We have our people whom we trust in holding such positions in Witu and not otherwise,” said Mr Fuad.

Another resident, Abdi Yusuf, said it will be better if the position is given to one of their own who knows the culture and heritage of Witu Town and who is also conversant with the challenges that the locals face.

MARGINALISED

“Witu residents have been marginalised in terms of government services, including the issuance of national identity cards. Most of the youth here lack IDs and this is contributed by the chiefs who have been serving in this area and who had no interest in the Witu locals. That’s why we are advocating for one of our own to be appointed chief of this area to help address the challenges we are facing,” said Mr Abdi.

Contacted, Witu Assistant County Commissioner Wesley Koech called for patience amongst the residents as their grievances had already been received and were being addressed.

“I had informed them to be patient and observe peace. They should also respect the law of the land as the government looks into their concerns. I even advised them to appoint representatives who will be forwarding their demands to the Lamu County commissioner as from this week,” said Mr Koech.