President Uhuru Kenyatta should take political battle to Cord

President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses a crowd at Mlango Kubwa in Nairobi on July 27, 2014 where he had gone to campaign for TNA candidate George Wanjohi who is vying for the Mathare Parliamentary seat. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• Luckily for the government, the majority of Kenyans still have faith in the presidency.
• The President must raise his game and combine politics with evidence that his government is in full control.

By KIMANI WA NJUGUNA
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The message from Cord seems to be resonating well with ordinary Kenyans, something that has rattled the ruling Jubilee Coalition.

 

This could explain the recent move by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, to tour the Western region with a bagful of goodies. It was seen as a major offensive to sell the government’s agenda in what is perceived as an opposition stronghold.

The presidency led a high-powered delegation to commission several major roads. They also announced that the Sh1.5 billion Mumias Water Project will be inaugurated soon.

It is also telling that the President did not shy away from politics. He criticised Cord for raising political temperatures a year after elections. He also held meetings with MPs, MCAs and Muslim leaders, whom he urged to support the government.

It is believed that the tour was part of a major campaign by Jubilee to endear itself in the region which largely supported Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani Coalition in the last elections.

This was a smart move by the President because, since his election, he has not been seen as impressive in embracing all Kenyans.

That is why the Jubilee Coalition has been accused of being busy launching projects in favoured areas and ensuring government appointments are skewed in favour of certain communities.

Luckily for the government, the majority of Kenyans still have faith in the presidency. This could explain why many do not seem in the mood to support Cord’s call for a referendum. Indeed, from the look of things, many Kenyans are ready to give Jubilee more time to deliver on its election pledges.

POSITION IS POLITICAL

President Kenyatta must wake up to the reality that he can ill-afford to neglect politics as he has been doing. His position is political. He must wake up to the reality that politics is largely about being heard, seen and felt.

Many, including his die-hard supporters, see his performance on the political front as lacklustre. Indeed, they see the performance outside Parliament of MPs allied to him as only responding to political wars brought to them by Cord, thus giving the opposition an edge.

It is instructive that some skeptics are peddling the perception that the government is on the ropes. Some are even predicting that it cannot last its full term and even mistakenly believing the President can be run out of State House. Others are predicting that he will be the only “one-term president” this country will ever have.

It is for this reason that the President must raise his game and combine politics with evidence that his government is in full control. The people must hear, see and feel the presidency. They must be told what the government is doing about the issues being raised by the Opposition.

The government must move in all corners of the country providing evidence that work is being done to fulfill the pledges it made to voters.

The President and his team should realise that irrespective of his performance on the economic front, when push comes to a shove, he will be judged by the political scores he nets before the next big political battle.

Mr Njuguna is a secondary school teacher in Kiambu County (kimmejanjuguna@gmail.com