President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing the nation from State House Nairobi
as Kenyans ushered in the new year 2014. President Kenyatta said his
government would also strive to unite the country under the theme of
“Reconciliation and Unity towards inclusive growth” even as it seeks to
fulfil the pledges it made during the 2012/13 election campaigns.
PHOTO/PSCU
“Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone back to cutting our ancient short comings considerably shorter than ever. We shall also reflect pleasantly upon how we did the same old thing last year about this time.”
The above was written by Mark
Twain. It drew a veritable smile on my face, because my target for 2014
is to fulfil the unaccomplished objectives I set for myself in 2013;
which I should have struggled for in 2012, since I promised to do so in
2011, given that I had planned for them in 2010.
Life
is, as Einstein said, like cycling, to keep balance we need to keep
moving. Kenya needs to keep moving. What can we wish the country for
this New Year?
True, there are many things that Kenya
could accomplish in one year. Some are simple, some are not. Some depend
on us…others don’t. Some require just a little bit of communication,
magnanimity and humility to be achieved.
For example:
The Governor and the Women’s Representative of Nairobi County should be
able to talk to each other without making news on Cartoon Network. Or the wrangles between the JSC, Parliament and the former Registrar should have come to a happy end, like The Rich Also Cry.
The laptops project should not become one more episode of the never-ending Neighbours.
UNADULTERATED MANAGEMENT
In
the international scenario, things are going badly for Manchester
United FC. We hope that History Channel will not have to buy ‘Man U’
broadcasting rights just as they bought the rights for Liverpool
matches.
Others resolutions do not deal with
communication skills. They require management skills…not rocket science.
For example, a few potholes could be covered in many battered,
bombed-looking-like streets. After covering the potholes let’s paint the
lines on national roads and clean up the garbage next to them! This is
not rocket science, but pure, unadulterated management.
We
complain about the road-carnage. True, some drivers are careless. But
we tend to look for easy blame and the easy solution: make everyone
re-apply for new driving licenses. It makes no sense. The Romans
discovered these 2014 years ago!
The problem lies
elsewhere: poorly maintained roads, no painted lines, no signage, deadly
potholes, deficient PSV inspection and bribery.
Speaking
about PSV inspection, I have seen some very strange buses on the road.
Perhaps they are an indigenous species. These buses travel diagonally;
the last passenger can see the road in-front. Who inspects them? And how
did they pass the inspection with a snake-like chassis?
Other
resolutions deal with glamorous government projects: The construction
of the new standard gauge railway between Mombasa and Nairobi. We hope
it speeds up and that China keeps its promise to deliver 85 percent of
the project money
.
.
Another glamorous project: Lodwar
oil extraction. We are waiting for this like the second coming, together
with the construction of the new Uhuru Highway elevated by-pass.
There’s also the Lamu Port and corridor (LAPSSET). It seems to have stalled due to lack of funds.
The
glamorous projects are beautiful and we hope for the best. But they
will not be achieved within one year. Some of them are part of Vision
2030, which may, by the way, need some revision as we fast approach the
date.
TIME OF RECKONING
What
then, should the Government achieve in 2014? I’d advise Uhuru and Ruto
to focus on simple, little things that can make a big difference. Things
that will put the rest to work.
Number One:
Make the Government work. This may require reducing the size of the
bloated national public sector, while increasing rational government
expenditure.
There are too many nonsensical fights;
triggered by personal interests; theatrics from too many power players,
day after day. Too many decision makers and too few implementers.
There
are some excellent performers and some under-performers in government.
Six months in the job is 10 percent of a presidential term. The time of
reckoning has come.
Truth be told, the Constitution
designed it this way and we have to learn to live with it. But some
tough decisions are called for to protect the country’s future and
development.
Number Two: Encourage
investment. Make it easy for multinationals to invest in the country and
the counties. Give them a sense of security and reduce red-tape and
bureaucracy to a minimum. We badly need to reduce unemployment and this
is the best and least artificial way to do so.
At
the same time, we want Kenyan corporations to grow and become
multinationals. Think of incentives. Laws should not be only punitive.
Well thought-out incentives are the key. Ignite and extend the Public
Private Partnerships! Set the ball rolling!
Number Three: Befriend
the press. For better or for worse people think what the press thinks.
Annoying the press and making them feel constrained or punished will
only make matters worse. This was, perhaps, one of the biggest mistakes
in the past. The press rarely forgives and never forgets. What is
written is written!
Let it not be said that we are just like the rest, who look forward to the New Year for a new start on old bad habits.
Keep trying. Happy New Year!
No comments :
Post a Comment