Osman Korar: Kiambu's first Muslim CEC with thirst for serving the youth

Growing up in Majengo in Thika, 29-year-old Osman Korar, was exposed at an early age to scenes of his peers being ravaged by drugs, crime, and other social ills.

However, having been fortunate enough to attend school and meet other people who would share success stories, Osman decided to be different.

“I developed a desire to prove that one can grow uprightly without engaging in drugs,” he told The Eastleigh Voice at his office within the Kiambu County Government offices.

Osman, fondly referred to by some of his colleagues as “last born”, is the youngest of the executive members of the county government.

History will have his name listed as the first Muslim county executive in Kiambu since the advent of devolution in Kenya, a feat he proudly mentions and uses to inspire unity amongst Christians and Muslims.

“Kiambu hosts all tribes and religions, the stigma orchestrated elsewhere against Kenyan Somalis is not felt here, and in the rare event that it happens, I just tell them it’s always good to put oneself in the victim’s shoes. It’s not good to spread prejudices based on looks and origins,” he says, referring to the recent online hate remarks against Kenyan Somalis.

The strategy

So, how did Osman earn such a highly coveted seat in the county?

“I was born and bred at a place called Majengo, in Thika, went to school at Thika Muslim Primary, then joined Gituru High School, after which I took a two-year break to help with the family business. I then resumed school in 2016 and joined Mt. Kenya University (MKU), where I pursued a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a finance option,” he said.

During his time on campus, Osman was drawn into politics and was elected the secretary-general of the MKU Students Council in 2019, a position that earned him numerous interactions with local and county leaders, including Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, who would later become his mentor.

When Osman was not on campus engaging in studies or council projects, he was busy knocking on industry gates asking to be engaged in their corporate social responsibility projects, activities that gradually ignited his interest in community service.

“We would plant trees, donate food items, help elderly people, and get fellow students job and internship placements in these industries. Remember, Thika has for a long time been an industrial hub,” he said.

After his graduation, Osman teamed up with Wamatangi, then the Kiambu senator, as he campaigned for the governor’s position.

Osman said deciding to join the governor’s campaign was easy, as it presented him with an opportunity to learn more from someone whose leadership he admired.

“He had the values that I wanted and so I worked closely with him during the campaigns and when he won the gubernatorial race, he appointed me to be the county executive committee member in charge of youth, sports, and communication,” he said.

Osman believes his appointment was ignited by the passion he had for the youth, not because he is from a minority community in the largely cosmopolitan county that serves as the bedroom for a high population that works in Nairobi.

Kiambu Governor Kimono Wamatangi and Youth Affairs, Sports, and Communication executive Osman Korar during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Thick Stadium upgrade. (Photo: CPS)

Challenges

Though he speaks Kikuyu more fluently than his mother tongue, Osman, who traces his roots to Wajir County, says his appointment was not without challenges, as some questioned his roots and age.

“Somehow, based on my looks, people would perceive me as Somali but couldn’t say it because they know me for having been born and bred here,” he said.

He revealed that his appointment as CEC brought some uproar.

“People thought the governor had appointed someone not from Kiambu and went ahead to do a background check that confirmed that, indeed, I am a resident,” he said.

The concerns reached Governor Wamatangi who told The Eastleigh Voice that he decided to ignore the noise and stick by his decision.

“Some people were worried about my decision to assign such a young individual as one of my County Executive Members, but I was able to disprove the opinions of those who mocked him. “He has managed to revitalise the Department of Youth and Sports, which was very dormant. I keep saying again and again that the youth deserve opportunities,” the governor said.

It’s now almost 20 months since Osman was appointed CEC and, looking back at how far he has come, he said there is no limit for the youth in the county to achieve their potential in sports and in whichever skills they have.

“We have done a lot of digital training for our youth in film capacity building, digital entrepreneurship, trained CAF D diploma coaches, trained 180 referees,” he said.

At the same time, 35 community and primary school playing fields have been levelled, he said.

“We are also doing six stadia, including Thika Stadium which is being renovated to international standards,” he said.

Home for all

As a youth leader and the current chairman of the Kiambu Youth Enterprise Fund, the CEC has partnered with religious organisations to offer mentorship programmes to young people, including those in his Majengo community in Thika.

“Those who are mentored are captured into our registry to benefit from the fund once it's rolled out around September,” he said.

He added that as the governor’s point man in youth affairs, his role goes beyond sports and mentorship, ensuring that the county action plans of prevention and counterterrorism are achieved using his soft approaches.

“I do this by constantly showing that Kiambu is home to all. I ask that we spread love and unity amongst ourselves as Kenyans governed by the same constitution,” he said.

He has occasionally served as the bridge between local Muslims and the county security administration when issues affecting them arise. One of the issues has been the constant complaints over delays in getting national identity cards.

Osman noted that despite the recent ban on vetting for IDs, he still receives complaints and pleas for help in acquiring the vital document.

“I want to thank the governor who, during the Eid celebrations, addressed us and insisted that Muslims who are born here should be treated the same as the other people. At least now we are finding that in the vetting committees, our people are represented but we are still pushing for equal opportunities,” he said.