Jubilee this way, NASA that way

The rival coalitions have framed their campaign messaging around populist issues as they battle to capture the hearts and minds of voters.

The Jubilee administration is running on a record of performance, seeking re-election on a platform of ensuring continuity to development programmes, but the opposition is projecting change, arguing the country is on the wrong path.

The rising cost of living has been thrust to the centre of campaigns, propelled by the recent food crisis that prompted the government to intervene with low-cost maize flour, but NASA has capitalised on public discontent over the shortage of the commodity.

To stem the backlash arising from the food crisis, President Uhuru Kenyatta, during a tour of Nairobi on Tuesday, explained that the shortage was as a result of rising demand and assured that stores across the country would be stocked as the distribution of subsidised maize flour improves.

For every issue the government has showcased as testimony of growth, including the standard gauge railway, whose maiden passenger train pulls out of the station today, Raila Odinga's NASA has crafted an answer, in this case questioning the financing of the Chinese-executed project and citing the alarming public debt.

Even rhetorical messaging such as NASA's 10-million strong slogan - referring to their perceived support base - is not going without a response from its rivals, with Jubilee now pressing the 45-million strong response suggesting that all Kenyans count.

The two sides have come up with almost similar thematic areas around which they are underpinning their campaign messages.

After being cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to seek a second term, Uhuru set the tempo by pleading with Kenyans to give him another chance so that he could continue with the projects Jubilee began in 2013.

"In 2013, we promised to provide access to electricity for 70 per cent of all households by the end of 2017. Today, we have connected an additional 3.7 million new homes to electricity. We have more than doubled the total number of connections made since independence," the President said.

He added: "We promised we were going to build a new railway, from Mombasa to Malaba through Kisumu, and that we would complete the first phase from Mombasa to Nairobi before June 2017. We have kept the promise."

But NASA has rejected the idea of another five years of Jubilee, with Raila calling for an overhaul of the government, which he considers wasteful and inconsiderate, saying the living standard of Kenyans has deteriorated and accusing Uhuru of impoverishing the people.

 "Jubilee lied that the price of unga has reduced to Sh90. Where is that unga? The so-called cheap unga is only in Ruto's home and State House. Within 90 days of NASA taking power, we shall reduce the cost of living by addressing the cost of unga, milk, sugar, and rent," Raila promised when he launched his campaign on Sunday.

Road traveling

"With 1,950 kilometres of new roads completed, and another 7,000 kilometres under different phases of construction, we have kept the promise. The impact of these roads can be felt across the country. The citizens of Moyale, who used to spend three days on the road travelling to Nairobi, can now make the same journey in under seven hours," the President said.

He added: "From one bus a day 12 months ago, today 30 buses a day are plying the route. This has brought a new economic dynamic to towns such as Moyale, Turbi, and Marsabit. In Homa Bay County, the residents of Rusinga Island now have a brand new bridge linking them to Mbita and improving the safety of transport in the Lake region."

Uhuru also pointed out that Kenya's gross domestic product has expanded at a strong average annual growth rate of 5.9 per cent since 2013, against a global average of three per cent.

"Our foreign exchange reserves have increased from 4.3 months of import cover in 2013 to 5.1 months of cover at the start of 2017. Our revenues from tax collections have increased from Sh847 billion in 2013 to Sh1.2 trillion at the end of 2016. The stable economic environment over the past four years has seen the cumulative addition of 2.3 million new jobs. From this perspective, the state of our economy is robust," the Head of State said.

NASA principal Musalia Mudavadi disagrees, saying: "Instead of the double-digit economy promised, they have mismanaged the economy and created a bandit economy."