A Government That Never Keeps Promises: tearing down Jubilee’s Unending Promises
The Jubilee government’s slogan, when it was ascending to power after a controversial election was kusema na kutenda (Saying it and doing it).
As soon as the duo landed into the big office, the slogan changed to kusema na kutenga with the Deputy President William Ruto leading the master choir then.
The slogan did not stop at kusema na kutenga, it metamorphosed to kusema na kusema na kusahau and ever since, Kenyans have been treated with a theoretical series of promises that clearly will never be realized.
The Jubilee government seems to have mastered the art of “promising”, giving hope to the hopeless, make them see you as the only savior of their heaven and earth, and then disappear.
The Jubilee government has become like a religion. One that is the opium of the masses, the exploiter of the impoverished and the sustainer of the status quo.
We have looked at some of the Jubilee’s promises that were only fulfilled in the minds and mouths of those who promised them.
Where are the Jobs?
The unemployment rate in Kenya is said to be at 39.1 percent. Although there are no official figures quoting the exact unemployment rate, the reality on the ground puts them higher than the commonly quoted rate.
When the Jubilee government came to power, they promised to create 1.3 million jobs every year. To make this possible, they promised to work closely with county governors to establish at least one industry in every county.
The promise for jobs ended as soon as the meeting for making the promises was over. Now, the unemployment rate among youth is higher than ever before. Thousands of young people are joining the job seeking market each year with literally no job to accommodate them.
They came up with the empowering of young people through the National Youth Service which was just a blanket to cover the hungry and greedy looters who looted billions of shillings from the organization.
They tried to come up with the Youth Fund with all the funds going into the pockets of corrupt officials with some of them branded heroes after their death.
Related Content
The East African Unemployment Rate: Kenya is the Worst among them All
State of Unemployment Rates in African Countries
Kenya’s Unemployment Rate Hits 39.1 Percent
Where is the support for SME?
The SME sector is key to Kenya’s economic growth. The sector employs 86 percent of Kenyans and contributes to 46 percent of the country’s GDP.
The Jubilee government promised that it would enhance the working environment for the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through lowering of taxes, giving them loans as well as funding.
Stats show that at least 400,000 SMEs are dying annually in Kenya with the government doing absolutely nothing to help them out. If anything, the Jubilee government just made things for the SMEs worse. This government has introduced numerous taxes that are choking the sector to death.
The introduction and implementation of the presumptive tax, that is, 15 percent on top of the normal rates for licenses and permits hit hard on the SME sector. Other taxes such as VAT on fuel, on the SMEs income, have left the sector with no room to breathe.
Related Content
Top 5 Things That Will Kill SMEs in Kenya in 2019
Access to Credit Still the Biggest Challenge to SME Growth
Importance of Access to Business Skills and Knowledge for SMEs
Where is the Fight against Corruption?
The current government has been voted the most corrupt regime in the history of Kenya. In other words, there has never been a government that is more vicious in looting public resources than this one.
Despite the promise by Jubilee that they will be on the forefront in terms of fighting corruptions, they have ended up being the chief priests, king, and queens foreseeing the plunder of a nation. Stat