Jubilee Score Card: Part 1 – The Umoja Pillar

It was the season of words in the year 2013. For anyone who would wish to remember, this was the season that our politicians invented numerous convincing vocabularies in an effort to try and woe voters on their side. The 2013 General Election was known as a two-horse race with Jubilee and Coalition for Reforms and Democracy, CORD being in the race. Each party had a manifesto. These are the plans that each party had for the development of the nation if voted in. The Jubilee Coalition assumed leadership with Uhuru Kenyatta as the President hence putting them to task to start implementing what was stated in their manifesto.

Recently, the government (Jubilee coalition) released its scorecard on how it has performed with only a year remaining for the next General elections. Soko Directory brings you a series of independent and extensive articles on how the Jubilee government has performed basing on their 2013-2017 manifesto.

The Jubilee Manifesto, under the banner ‘Transforming Kenya and Securing Kenya’s Prosperity’ was built on three major pillars being Unity (Umoja), Economy (Uchumi) and Openness (Uwazi).

This article talks about the first pillar of Jubilee government; Unity (Umoja). How has the Jubilee administration performed in making sure that their first pillar goes as stated in their manifesto? Have they achieved it or failed?

Under the Unity pillar, the Jubilee administration purposed to achieve the following;

• National Cohesion where the main focus was on eliminating ethnic division in the country.
• Security where the focus was to be on keeping Kenya safe.
• Trade and foreign affairs where the main aim was to make Kenya strong for a stable Africa.
• Sports and culture in making sure that Kenya is celebrating the best in the world
• Healthcare for a journey towards a healthier Kenya
• Youth Empowerment in an effort to realize the potential among the youth.
• Women’s Empowerment where equal share was to be championed and
• Social Protection especially for the vulnerable.

How has the Jubilee administration performed in these sub-pillars? Let us look at each one of them.

1. National Cohesion

The main focus according to the Jubilee administration here was to eliminate ethnic division in Kenya. Has it managed to do that? The Jubilee states in the manifesto that “The Coalition believes that all Kenyans should be proud of their ethnic heritage, but that above all we are Kenyans first and discrimination and hatred among our many communities must be finally stamped out altogether” and says that “The Coalition will be open to all, regardless of ethnicity, gender or religion” but in this area, the Jubilee government has tremendously failed. The government has been blamed by various quarters for promoting ethnicity in the country. The President for instance, has on several occasions, appointed people deemed from two ethnic groups in the country namely Kalenjin and Kikuyu and overlooking other communities. In general setting, the marginalized groups are underrepresented in the Jubilee government and this has promoted ethnicity. On a scale of A to E the Jubilee administration scores an E.

1. Security

The fact is that Jubilee administration came to power under the wake of constant Al-shabaab attacks with the recent being the attack on the Kenyan soldiers in Somalia where the exact number of those who perished yet to be made clear. So, has the Jubilee administration managed to secure Kenya? The answer is no and yes. Here, the administration scores on a benefit of doubt. It has tried but a lot needs to be done. For instance, there should be a clear coordination between the security sources so as to enhance smoothness in response to an attack. On a scale of A to E, the administration scores a C.

1. Trade and Foreign Affairs

The coalition aimed in its manifesto to keep Kenya strong for a more stable Africa. The Jubilee administration has tried in boosting international trade as well as the relation of Kenya with other African countries. The president has been to various countries around the world (making him the most travelled president in the history of Kenya) and this was in an effort to promote international relationship. The country also has continued to engage the traditional economic powers, including the USA, Great Britain, and other European countries, as well as emerging players such as China, Brazil, India and Russia. Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Jubilee administration has tried but Kenyans feel that it has done little in making sure that Kenyans in Saudi Arabia, especially house girls are well treated. Many Kenyan house girls in Saudi Arable have been tortured and some lost their lives but the government appears to be doing little. On a scale of A to E, the coalition scores B.

1. Arts, Sports and Culture

Under this goal, the Jubilee administration had plans for the following;

• Establish a National Lottery Scheme, boosted by National budget allocations to fund and support professionalization of local sporting leagues across the major sporting disciplines.
• Pursue tax incentives for individual and private sector investors in Sports, Arts and Entertainment sectors.
• Provide both the national teams and the domestic leagues with all the support they require while respecting their autonomy.
• Facilitate and encourage the better management of sports. Facilitate the professionalization of sports through introduction of professional coaches in schools.
• Establish youth development centers in all counties that will house a fully equipped library, an ICT hub, five sports pitches (football, swimming, basketball, netball volleyball) and a social hall.

The administration had actually done well especially in developing sporting infrastructure. Many organizations like Wadi Degla have ventured into the country with an aim to invest billions of shillings in the sporting facilities. The government also has plans of upgrading various stadiums across the country with some new constructions being already underway.

Article by Juma Fred.