12/08/2026
WHEN DEVELOPMENT LOSES DIRECTION, THE PEOPLE PAY THE PRICE
There comes a time when a community must look beyond the appearance of development and ask a simple but powerful question:
Does this project truly serve the people?
Arbajahan has already experienced the consequences of poor planning. A market constructed in 2014 at significant public expense has remained largely inactive, failing to deliver the economic purpose for which it was intended.
A structure may stand tall, but development is not measured by concrete, walls, or completion certificates. It is measured by impact.
Today, there are growing concerns that history may be repeating itself.
A new market is reportedly being planned on an area traditionally used as a livestock watering point. This raises serious and legitimate questions: Was the community adequately consulted? Is the location strategically suitable? What are the environmental implications? And will this investment genuinely benefit the people of Arbajahan?
A town is not developed by buildings alone. It is developed through vision, consultation, proper planning, and responsible investment.
The elders carry the history of the land. Traders understand commerce. Residents understand the daily realities of the town. The youth represent its future. Their voices should be at the heart of decisions—not heard after the decisions have already been made.
To the Wajir County Government, the Governor, relevant officials, and the contractor: we respectfully urge you to think beyond the completion of a project and consider the legacy it will leave behind.
Will this market become a thriving economic centre or another expensive structure standing quietly as a reminder of poor planning?
Public money is not simply a figure in a budget. It represents the sacrifice, taxes, hopes, and expectations of ordinary citizens.
Arbajahan deserves development that is strategic, sustainable, accessible, and genuinely beneficial to its people.
Let us not build merely because funds have been allocated. Let us build because the people need it, because the location is right, because the planning is sound, and because the investment will stand the test of time.
Development should leave behind more than buildings.
It should leave behind opportunity, dignity, prosperity, and a better future.
Arbajahan is watching. The people are listening. And history will judge the decisions we make today.