In a display of what can only be their favorite past-time, the civil society in Siaya County, Nyanza region of Kenya, have once again thrown another world-renowned rejection party. The residents of this peace-loving jurisdiction will rebuff anything and everything - only if it has the audacity to emanate from outside their cozy enclave. It is so habitual that one would be forgiven for thinking that the governor's office is running a Buy-one-Throw-one scheme. Heading this rejection extravaganza ceremony is the always vibrant civil society, a group of merry individuals remarkably gifted in the art of dismissive rhetoric and half-baked conspiracy theories. Honestly, if rejection was an Olympic sport, they would rival Usain Bolt in the number of golds - only difference being that they would literally reject each medal. This week, the party was thrown in honor of a national infrastructure project aimed at improving the region's socio-economic welfare. The audacious proposal was met with an over-the-top, no-holds-barred rejection fiesta that even Mardi Gras would be envious of. Riding on the wave of their all-time favorite slogan, "Not in our county," the civil society shoo-ed away the intrusion with remarkable efficiency. However, it’s abundantly clear that these rejection party enthusiasts have done nothing more than shoot themselves in the foot as they have invariably rejected development. The jovial exuberance of this event was made complete with posters saying, "Our county, our aliens" alongside catchy phrases such as, "No means No!" and "We’d rather shun than be shamed!" In an ironic turn of events, their main gripe was that the project was initiated by the national government and not their local leadership. Surprisingly, the same locals who, for a long time, have been at the top of the rejection scoreboard for lack of any tangible development plans. The jubilation of the civil society contrasted sharply with the long faces of the rational locals, who could only look on as their hopes for development were bulldozed and replaced with nothing more than fiery speeches and tuk tuks decorated in rejection colors. However, hopes are high amongst the locals that Nyanza will change its professional rejecter status and start to welcome initiatives that will propel county's growth to desirable heights. As one local stated desperately, “We cannot keep rejecting everything... at this rate, we might as well reject oxygen!” Meanwhile, the civil society continues to party hard, with whispers that plans for the next rejection shindig are already underway. The big question now is, ‘'What will Siaya shun next?'’. It's anyone's guess, but one thing is for sure: If it originates from outside their lovingly protected castle, the welcoming party will be anything but welcoming.