Jamhuri Day: What Does It Mean to be Kenyan Today and Tomorrow?

The people of Kenya on Tuesday will mark Jamhuri Day which is one of the three National Days stipulated in Article 9(3) of the Constitution of Kenya in addition to Madaraka Day and Mashujaa Day.

Kenya attained independence (Madaraka) on 1/6/1963 and with the Jomo Kenyatta as the Prime Minister and on 12/12/1964 Kenya became a Republic with the late Jomo Kenyatta as the President.

The people of Kenya as a Republic have had 11 elected governments since independence.  The 2017 Jamhuri Day will be the seventh to be celebrated under the New Constitution of Kenya 2010.

The Constitution of Kenya 2010 was proclaimed as a victory for the people of Kenya to have, for the first time, made their Constitution in Kenya for themselves, unlike the independence Constitution which was negotiated between Kenya’s political leaders and the outgoing British colonial government at Lancaster House, London in Britain.

These years’ Jamhuri Day will be held at Kasarani Stadium. “Being one of the most important dates on the country’s calendar, Kenyans are once again invited to rally in unity around the values of patriotism and moving the country forward in the spirit of Kenya Mbele,” Government spokesman Eric Kiraithe said last week.

The event will be presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The celebrations will be marked by military and police parades, cultural songs and dances and the ceremonial raising of the Kenyan flag.

Further, the uncertainty that would have been witnessed will not be there after the National Super Alliance (NASA) suspended the swearing in of an alternative president and Deputy President following what they termed ‘ extensive internal consultations’.

Jamhuri day gives an opportunity to all Kenyans to rededicate, recommit themselves that they shall eendeavor to  abide by, uphold, and promote every letter and the full spirit of that Constitution as it embodies all that is Kenyan and our Nation’s Promises and Dreams.

To President Uhuru Kenyatta, this will be his first public holiday in his second term in office.

Read: Divided Nation, Rising Debt, Unemployment Ushers Uhuru’s Final Term  

During his inauguration, the President said “I will be the President of all. And I will devote my time and energy to build bridges to unite and bring prosperity to all Kenyans.”

This is because a majority of Kenyans continue to engage in activities that have become symptomatic of a breakdown of social disorder and values. These include: irresponsible leadership, violence and hate speech.

Kenya’s re-election resulted in the incumbent President being declared the winner.

The two-month period after the announcement of re-election further extended the period of uncertainty and holding back of expenditure by both corporates and consumers.

“East Africa’s dominant economy is facing a widening debt, slowing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a credit longing private sector. The political turmoil witnessed in the second half of 2017 along with drought condition that persisted in the first half of the same year downgraded the country’s economic growth forecast for the year to as low as 5 percent from the previous forecast of 5.9 percent,” according to Fusion Capital.

Treasury has revised its 2017-18 budget deficit forecast to 8.5 percent of the GDP from the previous 6.8, which shows the extent of duress faced by the government.

Read:

World Bank Cuts Kenya’s Growth Outlook to 4.9pc

Kenya’s debt burden to rise due to deficits and borrowing costs – Moody’s 

80pc of Kenyan Job-Seekers Willing to Quit Jobs for Better Pay

“For now, the government will have to focus more on economic activity to ensure prosperity and stability, and improve its standing among the public,” they note.

The Civil Society Reference Group (CSRG) faulted the security agencies for being selective in the application of the law and being ‘captured’ by the state for its own political survival.

They further noted the deteriorating freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.

“This state of deteriorating freedom of expression, assembly, and association should be a matter of great concern to the government as it is bound to spawn underground activities that the State may not be able effectively to regulate.

There is imminent danger that groups that may feel aggrieved by what now seems to be government policy to deny rights to these freedoms may get radicalized and become easy targets of extremists and pose a greater danger to national security.”

Article 10 of the Constitution stipulates the National Values and Principles of Governance which bind all Kenyans and more importantly those in elected office, and those employed in public offices to make and implement public policies, to apply or interpret the Constitution and to enact, apply interpret any law in Kenya.

As Kenyans mark Jamhuri Day, they will be looking at what President Uhuru will be pronouncing, committing and rededicating in observing and promoting the National Values and Principles of Governance enshrined in the Constitution since the last Jamhuri Day of 2016.

Those values and principles are;

a.     Patriotism, national unity, sharing and devolution of powers, the rule of law, democracy and participation of the people.

b.    Human dignity, equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality, human rights, non-discrimination, protection of the marginalized.  

c.     Good governance, integrity, transparency, accountability.

d.    Sustainable development

President Uhuru had further said, “This is my second and final term as President. I have taken on board the aspirations of the people of Kenya to move forward, and as I have before, I will dedicate all my energies and that of my Administration towards achieving two principal objectives over the next 5 years. The first is to strengthen the ties that bind us as Kenyans at every level of our society.”

Thus, Kenyans will be looking at answers to:

Have we as a nation promoted, observed those National values and principles we enacted in our new Constitution of 2010. Is impunity, corruption, violation of human rights, failure to deliver justice still the order of the day in Kenya?  

Are the majority of Kenyans still marginalized by being mired in poverty, unemployment, hunger stricken suffering in hospitals for lack of doctors and medicines and all ills that deny them human dignity?

How many of those who hold public office whether elected or appointed have now decided to subordinate, ignore, rubbish the Constitutional values and principles of governance to rank below their selfish personal and parochial party, tribal wishes?

How many of those in elected and appointed public office now seeks to circumvent the Constitution by misconstruing it so as to serve their narrow interests?

How many of those in public offices remember that the Constitution is the supreme law in the Republic and binds all persons and all state organs and therefore by not complying with the National Values and Principles of Governance they are literally committing treason of the Constitution?

Happy Jamhuri Day!