Waata Community Mount Recognition Efforts in Kilifi
By The COAST Reporter
Email, thecoastnewspaper2gmail.com
The Waata community has formed a council of elders to champion its interests in the devolved unit saying it should be recognised as an indigenous Kenyan ethnic community with complete registration code.
The council was unveiled at a brief ceremony held at the Magarini Cultural Centre in Magarini Subcounty of Kilifi County.
This happened over the weekend following elections held in July, 2024 in all the four subcounties of the county where the minority community has a presence.
Baloni Onesmus, the chairman of the election board, declared Jacob Konani as the council’s chairman to be deputized by Stephen Abajila Lolo, Stanley Guyo Said as secretary assisted by Irene Abajila Hiribae while Ginora Aliwa Abajila as treasurer.
According to Baloni the community was facing numerous challenges including high illiteracy levels due to poverty, and that the few that had managed to get an education had remained unemployed because they do not have people in high positions to fight for them.
He said the lack of representation in the political arena and other for forums had led to great challenges to the community due to the lack of a voice in any decisions, some of which have direct impact on the community’s wellbeing.
Kokani, the newly elected chairman, said he would work hard to ensure that his community was fully recognized as community in the country by getting a registration code to make it easy for community members to acquire national identity cards and other amenities.
The chair said he would strive to ensure the community members were educated and politically represented so that it could embrace modernity and involve itself in political elections.
Philip Wario, the Kilifi County chief officer for livestock development, who hails from the community, praised the formation of the council saying it was imperative and would bring development progress to the community as a united front.
He pledged to work with the council of elders to ensure the interests of the community were taken care of in the county government of Kilifi.
Samson Bashora said there was need for the community to be represented at the County Assembly of Kilifi and the county executive committee for it to feel it was properly recognized and cherished in the county.
Ms Abajila, the newly elected treasurer, said despite the community doing its best to educate its children, lack of employment was discouraging the effort.
She called for lands rights for the Waata community, noting that although it was an indigenous community, its members do not own land ownership documents.
