Political risk analyst Dismas Mokua has challenged leaders behind the Magharibi Initiative to give ordinary residents of Western Kenya a bigger role in deciding the region’s development priorities, warning that political leaders alone cannot fully speak for the communities they represent.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday, Mokua said the initiative should be driven by wide public participation, with residents from across Western Kenya given a chance to explain their needs, interests and aspirations.
“Public participation must be the normal citizen, the ordinary citizen, to come up and is given a chance to speak and say, these are our interests and these are our aspirations,” he said.
Mokua cautioned against allowing regional political kingpins to determine the socio-economic agenda on behalf of the wider population, saying this could leave out the views and needs of many residents.
He said Western Kenya’s development plans should also be separated from the country’s five-year election cycle and instead be built through continued discussions involving people across the region.
“The Western Kenya socioeconomic trajectory must not be held hostage every five years,” he said.
According to Mokua, the process should bring together opinion leaders, thought leaders and ordinary citizens so that communities can help determine the priorities they want addressed regardless of who is in political office.
“It matters not who occupies the position of leadership,” he said.
He further called for public participation that goes beyond meetings where residents are given an opportunity to speak, but their views are later left out of the decisions made by leaders.
Mokua described genuine public consultation as “hard back breaking work”, saying leaders must be prepared “to listen, not to talk, to listen”.
His comments come days after Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi launched the Magharibi Movement at Kakamega School on August 15, bringing together political and community leaders from Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Vihiga and Trans Nzoia.
The movement aims to bring Western Kenya together around development, political representation and voter registration ahead of the 2027 General Election. It also supports President William Ruto’s bid for a second term.
Mudavadi has similarly argued that the region’s long-term future should not be shaped only around elections held every five years.
“Western Kenya’s future cannot be defined by elections every five years. It must be built every day through stronger representation, development and opportunities that improve people’s lives,” he said.
The Prime CS has also placed voter registration at the centre of the movement, linking a larger voter base to stronger political influence for the region.
“Our first mission is clear, get more people registered to vote. Political influence begins with participation, and a stronger voter base gives Western Kenya a stronger voice,” the Prime CS said.
Figures cited by Mudavadi show that Western Kenya had about 2.9 million registered voters by July 2026, up from about 2.6 million during the 2022 election. The figure, however, remains below the projected target of 3.4 million voters.
Mokua said initiatives such as Magharibi could help communities set lasting development goals, provided the process is built around broad public involvement rather than political calculations.