Jubilee Scorecard- Part II: Uchumi Pillar

This is the second part of the Jubilee government Scorecard series where we bring you an independent insight of the Jubilee Manifesto while clearly outlining what has been done and what has not been done as well as giving them a score on the scale of A to E. as stated in the previous article, the Jubilee manifesto was built on three major pillars; Unity, Economy and Openness. The article looks into the first pillar, the pillar of Unity where the Jubilee government aimed at eliminating ethnic division in the country. Has it succeeded? If you have not read the previous article you can read it by following the link below:

Jubilee Scorecard Part I: Umoja Pillar

• Healthcare.

The Jubilee manifesto states that the coalition was determined to strongly work towards a healthier Kenya.  The manifesto acknowledges the essence of the health sector to the national economic development for a healthy population makes a healthy and working nation. The manifesto states in part “Our hospital services must be improved, with better pay and conditions for healthcare professionals and a higher standard of care and treatment for patients being central to our health sector reform agenda”. It also says that “Every Kenyan should have access to high quality healthcare. The Coalition Government’s first focus will be on preventive healthcare, as it is less expensive and easier to prevent illness than to cure it.” Despite the fact that the government has tried to address the health issue into the country, a lot still has to be done. The First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta has done a commendable job in her Beyond Zero initiative in an immense effort to ensuring that mothers are safe. The introduction of free maternity services by the government too was a good initiative and need a round of applause.

Despite these few improvements, a lot still has to be done. For instance, the government introduced free maternity services in all the public hospitals without laying down proper infrastructural developments that would accommodate all the mothers seeking maternity services. Also, since the devolution of the health sector to the county government, the sector has been drifting into a deplorable state day by day. Doctors and nurses from various counties has been constantly going on strikes due to pathetic working conditions. The National Government has done little to address the issues. However, let us give credit where it is due. The government is trying especially in the upgrading the standards of major hospitals in all the 47 Counties. On a scale of A to E, Beyond Zero initiative scores an A, Free maternity scores a B but an E for poor implementations and generally the health sector has a D.

• Education

Education is key to the growth of any given nation. A nation without education is a stagnant nation that will never move forward. As the Jubilee manifesto states, “A good education is the cornerstone of success at the individual level and the foundation for resurgence, and ultimately, national prosperity. Kenya needs an educated and professionally well-adjusted workforce to harness the most its human capital can yield and fully exploit the country’s economic potential”. But has the government achieved in terms of addressing educational issues? The answer is NO and here is why.

When the Jubilee administration entered power, one of its agenda in the education sector was to roll out the issuance of laptops to all class one pupils. Almost four years later, the program is still staggering while marred with massive tender conflicts as well as the content to be disseminated. Teachers have been going on strikes over poor pay by the government. The Jubilee government has been on the forefront with the popular slogan of ‘CAN’T PAY, WON’T PAY!” Teachers woes and complains have never been addressed but the one who suffers the most here is the child. Most teachers have lost the self-driven will to work and deliver because of the miserable pay that they receive. The university education is no better. The universities are releasing half-baked professionals into the job market and this will eventually hurt the economy. The government has to put in place the mechanisms that will act as a check of what the universities are offering to the students. The score here is E in terms of addressing teachers’ concerns, D in terms of the class one laptop project and E in ensuring the quality of education in the country.

Article by Juma Fred.