Kenya’s August Polls; The Quest for Economic Liberation

In less than three weeks, Kenyans will be heading to the ballot to vote for their next leaders, and politics seems to have taken a new direction for the first time – the economy.

Unlike in the previous elections when campaigns centered on personality and ethnicity, the aspirants seem to have noticed just now that the voters are hungry and angry.

Kenya has four presidential candidates in the August 2022 general election. Sourcing from their manifestos, the one thing that ties them together is the quest for economic liberation.

They have made numerous wild promises of what they will do in the first 100 days to cushion Kenyans against the high cost of living if elected to office.

These include stipends to poor families, access to cheaper credit, land reform, farm subsidies, tackling endemic corruption, and the rising public debt. Unfortunately, the candidates have tried to explain how they will get the money to fund these activities in ways that are not clear to the voter.

The country’s economic challenges might be difficult to overcome and there couldn’t be so much that a government can do about them, especially in the first 100 days.

The cost of living which has been rapidly rising since the beginning of the year has affected millions of Kenyans. In fact, Kenyans have even sort to demonstrations and threatened to boycott the elections.

But the worst case is the fact that most Kenyans, especially the youth, have not registered as voters for the upcoming elections because they have lost hope in the government as the flagship of the nation.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) voter register shows that voter registration among people under the age of 35 has been dropping, citing voter apathy.

According to political analysts, not only one single factor is driving voter apathy but a perfect storm. That is a combination of factors that creates several difficulties in people’s lives.

Kenyans are facing the worst economic time ever in history, with the cost of essential commodities registering double digits every day. Currently, it is survival for just a few who are fit.

The lingering effects of the Covid 19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have been partly attributed to the current situation.

However, there are other domestic factors such as drought and an uncertain political atmosphere as the country heads for the polls.

All four manifestos promise to create economic opportunities and lessen the suffering of ordinary Kenyans. But are they realistic? Have Kenyans taken the time to analyze the manifestos before settling on a candidate?

Apart from talking, the aspirants have not fully addressed the real factors of production that have the potential of changing the economic situation of the country. Land, capital, labor, and entrepreneurship are the key factors to Kenya’s economic liberation.

Unfortunately, none of the manifestos clearly outline in detail how it will make Kenyans more productive and entrepreneurial.

The manifestos assume that the government drives the economy. The reality is that it’s citizens who do it through taxes. If only they could focus on what individuals can do to uplift themselves rather than what the government can do to uplift the citizens, then the country would at least have some hope.

Kenyans should know that these politicians would do anything within their reach to get power. Do not put too much trust in a human being to be your messiah. Voting is your democratic right yes, but do not tie it with unrealistic expectations.

No jobs can be created overnight. No commodity prices can reduce overnight! But you can vote for a leader with policies that project your life issues.

Lastly, peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful ways. No matter which side you are, we are all Kenyans, and we need Kenya.

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