Nairobi — Eldas MP Adan Keynan has joined a growing number of North Eastern leaders pushing back against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's claims that the region's persistent underdevelopment is largely due to abandonment and corruption by its political leadership.
In a public notice issued Tuesday, Keynan announced a two-week constituency-wide Development Assessment Tour aimed at what he described as "decisively dispelling misleading narratives" about development in Eldas and the wider North Eastern region.
The move comes amid heightened political debate following Gachagua's sustained attacks on North Eastern leaders, whom he has accused of misusing billions of shillings allocated through devolution, NG-CDF and other government programmes, while failing to invest in schools, hospitals and infrastructure.
Keynan has invited media houses, national government agencies, Wajir County officials, the NG-CDF National Board, professionals from Eldas and members of the public to independently inspect development projects across the constituency.
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"The development tour will enable independent inspection of projects and on-the-ground verification," Keynan said, adding: "Seeing is believing."
The tour is scheduled to run from Saturday, July 11, to Saturday, July 25, during Parliament's short recess. He asked interested participants to register through the constituency's official email.
Abandonment
Keynan's initiative mirrors similar efforts by other leaders from North Eastern Kenya who, in recent weeks, have returned to their constituencies to showcase development projects in response to Gachagua's assertions that leaders from the region have "abandoned" their people for Nairobi.
The controversy has drawn sharp and sometimes conflicting reactions from political leaders, lawyers and civil society figures.
Prominent lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi, while acknowledging that he and Gachagua are on opposite sides of the political divide, said the former Deputy President had raised legitimate concerns about corruption in the region.
Ahmednassir argued that while historical neglect by the national government has played a major role in North Eastern Kenya's underdevelopment, corruption by local leaders has also significantly contributed to the problem.
Vast sums misappropriated
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He claimed that since 2013, vast sums allocated to the region through devolution, CDF, donor funds and national government grants have been misappropriated, calling for a forensic audit and a national conversation on accountability.
"This corruption genocide of Northern Kenya must be confronted," Ahmednassir said.
However, other leaders have strongly disputed that narrative.
Former Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow said claims that North Eastern leaders are solely responsible for the region's poverty are unfair and misleading, arguing that the region continues to suffer from historical marginalisation, insecurity and harsh climatic conditions.
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, responding to Gachagua's remarks, said underdevelopment in Northern Kenya is rooted in systemic and legacy issues rather than current neglect.
"Northern Kenya's underdevelopment is a result of legacy issues," Abdullahi said, calling for locally informed and sustainable development approaches.
The debate has also sparked public outrage.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, reacting to footage of pupils studying under trees at Gedalo Primary School in Mandera South, called on residents of the former Northern Frontier District to consider recalling their MPs.
Gachagua, for his part, has doubled down on his criticism, alleging that some North Eastern leaders intimidated journalists in a bid to silence alternative explanations for the region's poverty.
However, media practitioners from the region have denied the claims, saying the cancellation of a planned interview with Gachagua was based purely on professional and ethical considerations.
