By Henry Munene
In his speech after being sworn-in as the fourth President, Uhuru Kenyatta promised to change the game and – unlike his predecessors – be Head of State for the whole country and to ensure the Government would at all times bear the face of Kenya. That is inspiring for a number of reasons.
One, since independence, the presidency has been seen as the cover for the ‘boys’ to eat. Coupled with the fact that we had given the President astronomical powers to determine who gets rich (through land deals and plum jobs) and who does not, we ended up with an ugly edifice where long after the powers of State House were clipped by the 2010 Constitution, the house on the hill is still seen as a coveted prize for which we always have do-or-die kind of elections every five years. After the polls, the winner has always taken it all.
Indeed, the unspoken truth is that what was initially intended to be a symbol of national unity has over the years been reduced into a symbol of national disunity, so much that losing an election is more or less tantamount to being excluded from the national ‘eating’ party while being on the inside means five years of power and wealth. By ensuring all parts of the country get a portion of the national cake, Uhuru and Ruto can turn their tenure into a turning point in the history of the country.
And while we are not doubting the ability of the new government to deliver on promises they made during inauguration at Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, Nairobi, on Tuesday, we must take political promises with a pinch of salt considering that in Africa, incoming presidents make such speeches but the realities soon sink and they drift back to bad old ways. Nevertheless, we shall give the two gentlemen the benefit of doubt and the support they need.
Uhuru and Ruto must step out of party and ethnic cocoons and work for the wider good because they campaigned on a platform of empowering the youth who, despite the ping-pong of ethnic hatred they recently exchanged, are less inured to the ethnic hatred that defines political relations among the older Kenyan folk. My unsolicited advice would be incomplete without pointing out the pitfalls that the two must look out for. They must read the lips of the public. The trouble with many African political leaders is that they surround themselves with court poets and masters of platitudes, to borrow a phrase, who only tell them what they want to hear. They lie to the king that his new outfit is elegant, even when the king is prancing around in the nude.
The second pitfall is cosmetic changes to hoodwink the public. On unemployment and fighting poverty, the two must genuinely set out to raise the living standards of the people. They must avoid treating symptoms. A good starting point is value addition and exporting finished goods, which Uhuru alluded to and which has the potential to boost our export trade and give the country a healthy balance of payment. This will reverse the current situation where we import mitumba clothes instead of reviving collapsed industries and build new ones to boost exports.
The industries will enable our people to earn a living, afford decent meals, clothes, health care and housing. With an empowered citizenry, we would not need to upgrade slums or build better houses even when we know the problem is not shortage of houses, but ability to pay rent.
Next are appointments; the President and his deputy must avoid reading appointment lists sneaked in by their cronies, which most of the time read like who is who in one tribe. They can inspire confidence by putting merit and respect for diversity and national cohesion above the interests of cronies, which always revolve around ‘eating’.
As they settle down to work, they must remember they have a golden chance to etch their names in the annals of history as some of the greatest leaders who ever walked this earth, or as nondescript also-rans who did the same things as before, expecting different results. As for their scorecard, I’ll be here.
The writer is Revise Editor for County Weekly
