This archive report was first published on 11 July 2021.
Wajir County Governor Ahmed Ali Muktar has embarked on a series of citizen engagement forums to gather public input and prioritize community needs in the remaining year of his term.
Since taking office in May 2021 after the impeachment of Governor Abdi Mohamud, Muktar has held five consultative dialogue forums, dubbed Xilkena (Wajibu Wetu), with the citizenry of Wajir to enhance good governance, human rights, and gender equality.
"As servants of the people, it is our civic duty to inform the public on services, engage, and incorporate their opinions in executing them," Muktar told The Standard in an interview.
He emphasized the importance of public engagement in ensuring responsive leadership and compliance with the rule of law, stating, "We are going to entrench public engagement at all times to ensure that our leadership is responsive to the people's needs, we are going to have citizen participation as an integral part of our governance and compliance to the rule of law."
Muktar has also been conducting impromptu visits to sub-counties to assess the implementation of projects, including boreholes and health centers, which he considers key priority areas.
During a visit to Griftu Sub-County Hospital, Barmil, and Shanta Abaq health centers, Muktar expressed his commitment to improving access to clean water and healthcare services for residents, stating, "I have satisfactorily assessed the situation of the centers, it's on record that more is required to uplift the art of service delivery on the same, plans to improve the current situation are underway."
