Somalilandsun: Wajir South MP Mohamud Omar wants the government to fast track the distribution of the economic stimulus funds to the grassroots.
Mr Omar appealed to the government to consider his constituency in the distribution of the funds meant to help those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic saying it’s one of the worst hit.
The legislator said the area has suffered due to its vast porous border with the neighbouring Somalia where the first case of the virus was imported from.
HUGE BLOW
The MP said that the control measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus dealt a huge blow to the residents, resulting in economic challenges that have greatly affected their livelihoods. These include the dusk to dawn curfew and the lockdowns.
He now wants President Uhuru Kenyatta to come to the aid of his constituency, the second-largest in the county with a population of about 290,000 people
He further said that a majority of residents in the area depend on pastoralism for their livelihoods, therefore, the closure of livestock markets has affected most of the households in the constituency.
Mr Omar also expressed concern over the high number of youths in the area who have been rendered jobless saying there is a risk of them joining terrorist groups out of desperation.
RADICALISED
“The highest number of the population of Wajir South are an unemployed youth, and we are worried that as long as they remain unemployed, they could easily be radicalised and engage in illegal activities,” said Mr Omar.
He added: “We really need to emphasise that this stimulus package needs to be directed to the youth so that they are able to work their way into better livelihoods, which will reduce the risk of them being radicalised.”
The county has reported a total of 16 positive Covid-19 cases.
