Political divide marks Mashujaa Day

Uhuru Kenyatta with Margaret Kenyatta (First Lady) commissioning the construction of the new standard gauge railway,standard gauge railway

NAIROBI, KENYA: Kenyans today mark the second Mashujaa Day under the leadership of President Uhuru Kenyatta as they reflect on the successes and missteps on the long journey of nationhood.

Initially named Kenyatta Day, after the country’s first president and Uhuru’s father Jomo Kenyatta, but renamed in 2010 following ratification of the new Constitution to honour national heroes, it is a day to also rekindle national pride.

Yesterday, leaders from across the political divide gave mixed reviews as to the direction the country was taking under the stewardship of President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.

President Kenyatta's team say they have done much although they concede there have been enormous challenges in the last 18 months.

Among the achievements that Jubilee prides itself on is the construction of standard gauge railway that is under way and last Friday's launch of 140 megawatts of geothermal power to the national grid, as part of its target of 5000MW by 2017 to make power cheaper and attract investors.

Free maternity services launched immediately Uhuru assumed office, the increment of budgetary allocation for free primary and secondary education and the 30 per cent policy of Government contracts to youths, women and persons with disability are other measures the Government has showcased. 

However, Jubilee critics, including the Opposition CORD (Coalition for Reform and Democracy), accuse the State of failing to tackle the high cost of living, insecurity, unemployment and corruption.

Jubilee has also been accused of undermining devolution and disrespecting Parliament and the Judiciary. 

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi says the greatest challenge has been implementing the new Constitution, which created new structures of governance.

But he remains optimistic that with consultation, the ongoing turf wars will be addressed since the ultimate goal for all State organs is service to the people.

The Speaker attributes some of the challenges facing the Jubilee administration to its commitment to beating deadlines for implementing some of its key campaign pledges.

Do something for the people

"Everybody thinks their area is being encroached upon, but with more consultation we are likely to get there. There is determination to soldier on and do something for the people," Muturi said.

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale defended the achievements of President Kenyatta's administration, saying it was on course to fulfill the promises it made in its manifesto before the last elections.

Duale listed several projects that he said had been prioritised by the Government, dismissing as rhetoric critics who argue that the Government had slowed down development projects.

Acknowledging the insecurity challenges witnessed over the 18 months Jubilee has been in power, Duale said that the Government would increase the number of security officers and improve their working conditions.

"Last year we recruited 10,000 police officers and this year we are adding an equal number while providing them with additional 1,200 police vehicles, just as we did last year," he said. 

Siaya Senator James Orengo and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, however, feel that Jubilee has not initiated any projects, saying that those being launched were started by former President Mwai Kibaki and  former Prime Minister and CORD leader Raila Odinga when their Grand Coalition Government was in charge.

They accused Jubilee of not doing enough to unite Kenyans and promoting impunity through disregard of the Judiciary.

"Cohesion and integration has not been achieved, and I don't think Jubilee is interested in uniting Kenyans," Mohamed said.

Orengo claimed Uhuru's government has shown contempt for the Constitution and other State organs, citing the cold relationship between the Judiciary and Parliament.

But Senate Majority Whip Beatrice Elachi dismissed claims that Jubilee was riding on projects initiated by Kibaki and Raila.

She said Jubilee had launched many projects of its own whose fruits would be realised in the future, including the standard gauge railway, and that many initiatives have already begun bearing fruit, including the Uwezo Fund that finances business start-ups by youths, women and people with disabilities.

Long term projects

"The long-term projects that were launched by President Kibaki are being continued by the current government because we are all working under the long term blueprint which is Vision 2030. Do they want us to stop pursuing such projects because a previous Government began them?" she said.

She insisted that without the effort of the current Government, many of the projects that were launched by Kibaki's administration would not have been actualised.

Duale said that major achievements had been recorded in education, citing the increase in the budget allocation to free primary education from Sh 10 billion to Sh14 billion, and that of secondary education to Sh33 billion.

He said that the Government should not be held responsible for delays in implementing the laptop project for Standard One pupils because the matter is in court.

He also cited the issuance of titles deeds, cleaning up the mess at the Ministry of Lands and Housing and higher budgetary allocations to counties as key achievements. However, he said that Kenyans will give Jubilee its scorecard at the end of its five year mandate.