2017: The year Kenyans have to reap gains out of their 54 years struggle

The problem Kenyans face today is that we forget so easily where we come from -Kenyans forget easily.

Little do we know that, “We often fight our circumstances, wanting to alter them. But the lesson is always waiting to be learnt. If we refuse to learn it, it will rebound on us again and again in various forms until we do learn it.”

Kenyans have braved so much since the era of one party rule through multiparty however, when a glimmer of hope arises, petty self-interests become the greatest obstacles to structured social mobilization for political and economic transformation in Kenya. However, the Kenyan society can mobilize virulent violence when their collective racial or ethnic interests are threatened.

Our political leaders should get it clear, that the empowered Kenyan is not looking at the “what” they would want us to have because to them, this has been a pipe dream to them. What they would want to listen to, get inspired and become a call to a common goal of achieving the country’s hopes and aspirations is the “how” by bringing forth good policies that will make them feel appreciated as Kenyans and not Kenyans ready to vote because the same leaders are competing against each other.

The 2017 General Elections many see it as a defining year for Kenya. A year for continuous progress or retrogression. A year that will continuously uphold the rule of law and governance with respect to human rights. A year  that will impact Kenya’s social stability and  service delivery. A year that will continuously deliver on the promise of devolution, while protecting public investment.

The Kenyan public is asking. Did we get accountability right from the start?  

The World Bank in 2012 said, “Accountability should focus on both funds and performance, and systems should emphasize both central monitoring and reporting, but also maximize the involvement of citizens so they can hold their representatives accountable.”

Kenya seems to be at a crossroad.

Diariétou Gaye, World Bank’s Country Director for Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Eritrea, Africa Region says,  “Kenya remains one of the bright spots in the region.”

“ With economic growth rates sustained at above 5%, Kenya has outperformed the Sub-Saharan Africa regional average for eight consecutive years. Our macroeconomic team projects that gross domestic product (GDP) growth in Kenya will increase to 5.9% in 2016 and could accelerate to 6.1% by 2018,” she adds.

Besides a weak economy amidst a weaker than expected growth in the global economy, volatility in global financial markets and a hike in oil prices, Kenya has to grapple with delays to fiscal consolidation, adverse climatic shocks affecting the largely rain-fed agricultural sector, unintended effects of the interest rate cap for the financial sector.

Consequently, the country is struggling to address the unemployment rate that is escalating each year. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) reported that approximately 800,000 young Kenyans enter the labour market every year and youth unemployment is estimated to be as high as 35%, compared to the overall national unemployment rate of 10%. Furthermore, 80% of unemployed Kenyans are below 35 years old.

The country is witnessing theft of the taxpayers money through wanton corruption, and impunity. Allegations of increased extra judicial killings. The opposition has ultimately described the state of affairs as, ‘That makes for a bandit government’.

Read:

• Top 13 Corruption Scandals Under the Jubilee Government
• Tough Times Ahead if Ever Increasing National Debt is not Tamed, Warns World Bank

Against this backdrop is the myriad number of candidates eyeing various seats from the national level to the County level, guessing who will capture the moments of inevitability is of course like speculating which financial products will trigger a new economic crisis.

The task is less to predict than to shape the future, and the main task is to identify the stakes involved in the 2017 elections. How the contenders measure themselves against these stakes will shape the future of democracy in Kenya.

Incompetent leadership has gravely undermined the pace of countries socio-economic transformation. That it now begs the question; can democratic processes yield the caliber of competence that we see in our leaders?

Kenya’s path has generated into an absurd social inequality that has been fired up by corruption, and ethnic strife and impunity.  

Outrage at official theft or abuse of office is frail and inoffensive. We adore the corrupt, tribal, greedy and selfish, insensitive, myopic and the redundant with orthodoxy system of leadership.

As such, voting ceases to be a political act in search of the common good, which often demands citizens to vote against their personal tastes and market-based preferences.

The reason we elect leaders is so they can steal and share the booty with us.

Only the Kenyan voting public has the power to re-shape Kenya’s destiny ahead of the 2017 general elections. I believe that citizens of Kenyan leaders are a creation of their respective societies.

It is against this backdrop that the search for candidates with a common touch will be of crucial importance. There should be no regrets, therefore, in voting against any pretenders whose business and political exploits have been detrimental to the lives of the ordinary people.

Kenyans must rise up, dust themselves up, begin to value their own freedoms, demand accountability for their taxes and hold their leaders to account for the decisions they make on behalf of the voters.

Kenyans must demonstrate to the world that the government of the people by the people and for the people has not perished.

Society rises on the pillars of respect and celebration of diversity. Society springs from a fundamental belief that different is not equal to less than. That difference is novelty.

Democracy can only flourish on the principle of citizenship. The problem is, the principle of citizenship is not the only game in life and it does not rule out other principles like religious affiliation or consumer identity.

The Kenya we have is built on the unyielding truth that politicians will protect us from the enemies of our tribe. Politicians decide which ethnic group(s) is friend or foe and rests on the aspiration that politicians from our ethnic community must be ensconced in power and grandiose privilege before we can get paved roads, clean water, medicines, a school, and a job.