In Summary
The New Year is the time for reflection and setting goals for growth and expansion as a country and a people.
For the Jubilee administration, 2020 is the year of reckoning.
It has to take stock of what it has done, based on the election pledges it made in 2013 and 2017, and commit to realising them.
On balance, most of the pledges are unfulfilled yet time is running out as we head towards a general election in 2022.
The election mood is soon setting in and could scuttle all development plans.
President
Kenyatta has since distilled his development plan into the ‘Big Four
Agenda’ — universal health coverage (UHC), food security, manufacturing
and affordable housing.
There is progress, for instance in piloting UHC in four counties
and the launch of affordable housing projects. Even so, away from the
public show, little has been done to make the dream come true.
ECONOMIC REVIVAL
Kenya is at an inflection point in its social, economic and political life.
Security has become a particularly thorny issue, with terrorism taking centre stage within and outside the borders.
Last
year, the country went through economic hardships characterised by
rising prices, collapsing businesses and spiralling unemployment.
No
less than 20 companies listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange
declared profit warnings — the clearest signal of a non-performing
economy.
Unemployment continued unabated and job opportunities snuffed out as businesses struggled.
Economic revival and progression, therefore, should be the priority agenda for the government and the public at large.
GRAFT WAR
But achieving that requires strategic direction. There are reasons why the economy has been flagging.
Infrastructural, as well as legal and policy interventions, are cardinal in creating a conducive business environment.
Granted, international reports on the ease of doing business globally have progressively given Kenya good ratings.
Erstwhile cumbersome and bureaucratic practices that obstructed trade have been unlocked. But the challenges remain.
Over the years, corruption has emerged as the single most dangerous threat to the country’s well-being.
Corruption
permeates all sectors of the economy. Independent reports show that a
sizeable chunk of national resources is lost through graft.
Infrastructure and supplies count among the major avenues through which the government loses money due to graft.
Whereas
in the past corruption was domiciled within the national government,
under devolution it has percolated to the counties.
Large sums of money meant for national and county development disappear through dubious deals.
YEAR OF POLITICKING
For
two straight years, the government went out of its way to tackle this
vice by strengthening the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Ethics
and Anti-Corruption Commission, Directorate of Public Prosecution and,
subsequently, the agencies mounted aggressive campaigns to rein in the
corrupt.
After sting operations, the fire seems to
have died. Matters have been made worse by a lethargic Judiciary and
convoluted litigation processes, whereby cases flounder for lack of
evidence or procrastinating judicial officers and counsel.
The net result is that the war on corruption is stuck and the public is galled.
As the President has repeatedly declared, the war on corruption must be fought to the logical end.
Graft suspects must face the law and, importantly, proceeds of corruption returned to the public.
With two and a half years to the 2022 polls, this year promises hot politics.
BBI REPORT
Already,
political contestations have started in earnest in respect to the
Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) that proposes far-reaching changes to
the structure of government.
Indications are that the
country may be forced into a referendum to ratify or expunge the
suggested changes. Should that come to pass, then the political climate
is bound to be extremely volatile.
Whichever the case,
it’s incumbent on politicians to moderate their acts. High-octane
politics rife with insults is unacceptable.
But of
significance to the political equation is the Independent, Electoral and
Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which is more or less moribund and cannot
be relied upon to preside over a national poll.
Since
it was strangled through external and self-inflicted blunders, the
commission must be reorganised. Failure to do so is a sure recipe for
electoral chaos.
PROSPERITY
The government also has to give attention to the social sector, including education and infrastructural development.
In
sum, the New Year should not just give hope to Kenyans, but become the
moment for putting the country on the path for growth and prosperity.
We wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year.
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