Folks,
Since his return from the United States a few days ago, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his opposition CORD coalition have ratcheted up criticism of the Kenyatta government for its failure to deliver on its pre-election promises and for the direction the country is headed, and rightly so. The question I hear time and time again lately is this, "Are Kenyans better or worse off today than they were when the Jubilee government came to power?" We all have our own takes on this and I am curious to see how many of us are reading from the same script. If you were to give a brutally honest assessment of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee government's performance without bias or personal considerations, what would it read like? Personally, I have agonized over what I am about to write, bit my tongue more than enough times and resisted the temptation to criticize President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Jubilee government; after all I was one of the very first ones, if not the first, to endorse Mr. Kenyatta's candidature for president on blogs and social media when all odds were stacked against him and his deputy. From the ICC, the domestic opposition from political parties and civil societies to international bodies and western countries; invariably all of them warning all of us of "choices having consequences" if Kenyans elected Kenyatta and Ruto. As one of those who worked hard in public and privately to promote and defend Mr. Kenyatta before some of the most powerful men and women on earth and taking the treacherous personal risks in the process; most of which I can't reveal, something has gone terribly wrong that we are now questioning the choice of this President and his deputy and if they were really prepared to lead.
Not too long ago, I penned a narrative about President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Jubilee government handling of Kenya's affairs, specifically, the Diaspora. Like majority of Kenyans spread all over the world, I thought the President had all but ignored the Diaspora at worst or simply paid lip service at best. I still think so and so do majority of Diaspora folks. However, the larger context of the message then was that there is a plethora of issues the Jubilee government is clearly falling short on. I know the president means well for the country and I have no reason to believe otherwise but the results on the ground since he came to office speak for themselves- all is not well.
As a supporter, this introspection puts me at great odds and in a very awkward position and it pains personally to be critical of the president and how he is running the country but speak I must, all of us should, it is the least we can do for the common good of Kenya. To say I am underwhelmed and disappointed by the Jubilee government performance is a generous understatement. Let's be candid, the President and his deputy appear indifferent, detached from reality and in many respects, in denial. I think the President has been very poorly advised and his inner circle are doing him and the country a great disservice. The president's down to earth demeanor and affable nature have gotten in the way of good governance, his advisors and circle folks have taken advantage of him but at his expense, they are keeping him in the bubble and shielding him from the truth, telling him what they believe he wants to hear rather than the truth, that's the only logical explanation for the president's inaction in my view - let's not sugarcoat the obvious or defend the indefensible. The President needs better advice and perhaps a different team altogether.
The argument that Kenyans should wait for his term to be up to speak up is hubris because whereas he and his advisors have such luxury, the rest of us do not. Doing or saying nothing would amount to condoning and aiding the jubilee government perpetrate its ill-conceived ideals on the country. To whom much is given much is expected and we can't continue to turn a blind eye to the government's malfeasances and give it gratuitous passes when it is clearly screwing up. Truth be told, the President's actions or inactions thereof have made him an easy target and practically put him on the defensive; it is hard to govern from that position.
So what exactly is wrong with President Kenyatta's Jubilee government? Here we go, I will pick Key Performance Indicators at random and you be the judge, this is just my own opinion anyway. These failures are not aberrations but rather they have become the new norm:
National Security:
Kenyans live in greater fear now than ever before, of the more than a dozen terrorist bombings in Kenya over the last 50 years, about 90% have been on the Jubilee Administration's watch. Think about that folks, that is in a span of 12 months since this government came to power! There is something ominously telling about this statistics that those in the know are not revealing the truth but clearly either there is blatant complacent incompetence on the part of the Jubilee government or deliberate complicity or both. Word on the street and from the several theories in the intelligence community suggests that the brave public display of fight by the government is really a façade and that this administration is not only ill prepared to fight terrorism in Kenya but also least interested to fight terrorism for two main reasons; a) these acts divert attention from the ICC charges against the president and his deputy and b) they guarantee cash inflows and equipment from the international community in the name of fighting terrorism and so there is an unspoken inherent incentive to allow things and innocent folks to continue being blown up. There are opportunists out there gleefully waiting for the scales to tip over and start the "Arab Spring" type of melee in Kenya in the name of evolution; and they are likely to latch on the President and his Deputy's status at The Hague to hamstring the government from responding, so this president is really on thin ice.
How it is that neighboring countries such as Uganda, Ethiopia, and Rwanda that have military presence in Somali are not undergoing similar episodes of terror? Why just Kenya? WHY?! Given the way this government is being run, it is hard to discount these theories- they seem plausible to me but whether valid or not, innocent lives are being lost needlessly and this government is not doing enough to stop them, as a result the economy is contracting/suffering, traditional allies are pulling out their citizens, investor confidence in Kenya is eroding fast and all we hear are disorganized and cavalier responses by a reactionary government that generally shoots from the hip.
The government's knee-jack reaction of profiling and targeting Somali refugees and Kenyan-Somalis in Eastleigh Nairobi and elsewhere for example is a classic example of stereotypical xenophobia and demonstrates how inept and ill-prepared the government is to secure the country. These operations did not and will never stop the bombs, in fact, barely two weeks after the "operation" bombs went off in Gikomba market and in a bus off Thika Road; so how effective were those raids other than the government turning on its own people and practically terrorizing its own citizens? Suppose the government went after Kikuyus on account of the "Mungiki" terror gangs, Kisiis because of "Chinkororo" and so on and so forth? That would be equally wrong, then why should we tolerate the government targeting Somalis en masse? I've heard heart wrenching stories of the famously corrupt Kenyan Police whose notoriety is only exceeded by their brazen brutality victimizing and extorting money from anyone who looked Somali; that is not fighting terrorism, it is perpetuating it. The Somali community is more likely to grow resentful toward the government and this is the kind of stuff that actually breeds terrorism rather than preventing it- in simple terms, it is "making the punishment fit the crime". A government that brutalizes its own people and rules by fear and intimidation is no government.
I am not picking on anyone but the Interior Cabinet Secretary in charge of Security, Ole Lenku, comes across as an amateur, a novice, and indeed he might as well be, his credentials and background in Hotel Management are hardly that of a security chief and it shows; until he was appointed to the president's cabinet, he had no experience in security matters, so is it any wonder then that the security apparatus are inept and incompetent? Simply put, there is no leadership. I don't know of many Kenyans inspired by Ole Lenku as the man in charge of Internal Security, only last year he admitted that he wasn't ready or knowledgeable about security and that he is learning on the job, but while he learns Kenyans are being blown to pieces left and right and of course the President and his deputy appear to be spectators-in chief.
Corruption
This simply speaks for itself and it is just bad. It seems like under Jubilee Kenya's corruption graduated from the frying pan straight into the fire. I mean when even Anglo Leasing companies, some of the most corrupt of the corrupt have the audacity to exploit the government's own corruption and extort Kenya for an additional KSH3 Billion immediately after corruptly being paid KSH1.4 Billion for doing nothing, clearly the country is in deep trouble. http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Anglo-Leasing-firm-wants-Sh3bn-more/-/1056/2324016/-/s1s2pq/-/index.html . I know we are crying over spilt milk insofar as the KSH 1.4Billion is concerned but the ink is yet to dry on the President's order to pay the Anglo-leasing and we are being extorted again? Does anyone take Kenya seriously anymore?
But this is just an example of the confluence of past and present corruption that is endemic in Kenya. The list is endless, whether it is the Railway project, Goldenberg, Laptops, just to name a few- there are always embedded elements of corruption and the Jubilee government seem to be incapable of stemming the problem.
All its actions are intertwined and taking the country in the wrong direction
Diplomacy & International Relations- It is hard to judge where Jubilee is on this one but clearly it is equally a problem. Speaking of Kenya's historical ties with the West, I can understand the strain on President Kenyatta and his deputy Ruto's reluctance to engage with the west given that the fact that the west wanted the duo jailed and far away from power but elections are over now and the men won. So why on God's green earth doesn't this president appoint a fully accredited ambassador to the United States of America for example? Is it out of spite or oversight? The presidency is not a personal household but the people's and so the President is required to serve the interests of the people even when such interests conflict with his own, not the other way round. Envoys represent the interests of the entire country, not just the president's. Why is Ms. Kamau in an acting capacity? WHY???!! Did America cease to be an important ally?
Diaspora
This issue is dead as a door knob as far as the Jubilee government is concerned, an inconsequential non-starter; the president probably had the best intentions on this but his execution has been disastrous. For a Billion plus dollar, (almost KSH 100 Billion) portfolio (that's how much the Diaspora pumps into Kenya's economy annually), the Kenyatta government could have done much much better to manage the Diaspora, if for nothing else- at least to appreciate its contributions to Kenya's economy. Like him or hate him, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is a far much better friend of the Diaspora than the Jubilee government, just facts.
Again this is speaks to the government's lack of grasp of not just this issue but many others as it is now manifestly evident. The Jubilee government appointment of Dennis Itumbi as a Director of Diaspora Affairs was, for a lack of better description, for show only, lip service that was actually an insult to the intelligence of tax paying Kenyans abroad; the message to the Diaspora is clear- don't expect anything of substance from the Kenyatta government.
Two weeks ago, perhaps trying to run away from his dismal performance, Dennis Itumbi fiercely denounced his title and responsibility as the Director of Diaspora Affairs on Facebook. He was emphatic that he never held that title and was very quick to deflect Diaspora matters to an unheard of "professional and career Diplomat" a Mr. Zachary Mwamburi. http://www.jambonewspot.com/dennis-itumbi-now-says-diaspora-policy-handled-ministry-foreign-affairs/ This "surprise" twist does not surprise me but it is emblematic of a rudderless government all too willing to run from its own record and deflect its failures as much as it can by taking its people round in circles.
Why did Itumbi make the announcement and not the President or one of his cabinet Secretaries or even a principal secretary or an ambassador if the Diaspora were that important a constituency in the eyes of Jubilee? Itumbi making such an announcement, on Facebook of all places only confirms what we have maintained all along, i.e. how lowly the Jubilee government rates the Diaspora Constituency, again this is the one area that Prime Minister Raila Odinga clearly scores big.
The truth it doesn't matter how ineffective or incompetent the folks in government are, the bottom-line remains, ultimately the President is in charge, he is responsible, Kenyans elected him, not his appointees and therefore the buck stops with him.
Economy
President Kenyatta and his Deputy Ruto promised double digit economic growth and jobs for Kenyans but that is NOT what Kenyans are getting, the economy is sinking and losing ground fast instead. William S. Ruto was quoted as saying, "We will grow the economy by double digits. Bei ya unga itashuka by half, from 120/= to 65/= within one year". .A year later, Inflation stands at 7.2 and the cost of living is getting worse. Hotels are closing faster than they are opening. The tourists are leaving, not coming, investors are fleeing and Unemployment is steadily going up. So who is fooling who?
Taxes
Instead of cutting taxes to stimulate the economy, Jubilee raised them and in the process shrunk the economy along with the tax base. Jubilee raised even on the basic necessities of taxes across the board including VAT on the most basic necessities such as food and in the process exacerbating an already bad situation from bad to worse- the cost of living has risen exponentially and is hurting Kenyans, especially the most vulnerable, i.e. Women, children and the elderly who can least afford it. Many are starving. By contrast, the government's wage bill continues to skyrocket, this is one of the worst cases of wealth transfer from the poor to enrich the minority in government. And it is not working, revenues to the exchequer are not increasing but rather going down, so much so that the government is now unable to pay VAT refunds, I kid you not. The Kenya Revenue Authority is cash strapped and cannot afford to send tax refunds to companies- http://www.nation.co.ke/business/KRA-wants-Sh32bn-tax-refund-claims-converted-into-bonds/-/996/2329968/-/10nvno4/-/index.html . These are ominous signs of a looming economic calamity.
Transportation and 24 Hour Economy
Jubilee's ban on night travel as a way to mitigate road accidents has effectively shut down the so-called 24 hour economy; the predicate was the mortality caused by road accidents but that has not stopped the carnage. What Kenya lost instead was jobs. I commend the government's push to expand the road network but the answer is not banning travel altogether, it is incredulous - Jubilee has this backwards. Fix the infrastructure, encourage trade, and work to make public safety a proactive priority rather than these haphazard job-killing ineffective measures. With all the tax increases the government ought to provide preventive measures alongside punitive ones for errant drivers. Of course it is easy for the government to defend their actions because they have their salaried jobs and they couldn't care less about the folks that get laid off as a consequence.
Tourism
This is yet another front that Jubilee has dropped the ball. Kenya should be doubling its tourist rather than losing them. The evidence speaks for itself; the government's failure to secure the country is costing the country Billions of tourism revenues, tourists have not only cancelled travels to Kenya but those already in the country are also cutting their trips short and leaving in droves also. http://www.nation.co.ke/counties/4000-Coast-hotel-workers-home-as-tourism-takes-a-hit/-/1107872/2321878/-/f29xumz/-/index.html
I think this is easily fixable and whereas the president's response by ordering the government to hold conferences in hotels is evidence of panic, it still falls far short of fixing the problem. Kenya simply needs to restore her place as a destination of choice. The president should team up with the Diaspora Kenyans to initiate tourist promotion programs that will restore traffic flow to Kenya. In Kibaki's administration, this task had been outsourced this function to foreign companies, I think President Kenyatta should use this crisis and turn it into opportunity- enlist the Diaspora in official capacity and you will be amazed at what results they deliver, just saying.
Tribalism, Nepotism and Cronyism – Appointments
Majority of Kenyans who voted for President Kenyatta were hopeful that he will steer Kenya away from this scourge and help turn the leaf on negative ethnicity. Whereas I personally don't think the President himself is a tribal chieftain, those in his inner circle effectively make him appear as such. History is replete with the consequences of tribalism, as recent as the 2007/2008 Post-Election Violence. The excesses of the Kibaki government were self-evident and I honestly believed that Uhuru Kenyatta would put an end to that but that has not happened. In fact it has gotten worse and Kikuyus seem to continue to disproportionately land the plum positions in government and that is precipitously dangerous; it appears blatant and by design, with little regard to the sentiments of the rest of the tribes. This only helps drive a further rift between the tribes, particularly against Kikuyus. Whereas it is an open secret that there is resentment toward Kikuyus spanning more than a decade now since 2002 primarily because of disproportionately higher appointments of Kikuyus to plum positions by Kikuyu led governments, the truth is the government hasn't done nearly enough to stop the vice. Kenyatta was elected on his own merit and to repudiate the ICC but he was still expected to heal the nation in this regard and he hasn't; if anything Jubilee has exacerbated the problem. The President simply has to change course on this.
Finally, President Kenyatta is squarely responsible for leading the country, not his cabinet or inner circle he cannot attribute the lags in leadership to his staff because to do amounts to dereliction of duty. I, like all well-meaning Kenyans, expect him to pick up the tempo in leading the country and to make good on his pledges to the country, the truth is Jubilee has squandered the people's goodwill and great opportunities to advance his agenda and has lent credence to the "I told you so" crowds that are now up in arms against him. In my view, the window is fast closing for reforms and Jubilee would forfeit any accommodation to redeem itself.
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