The President said it all: Governments will do anything to get their way

Textbook description notwithstanding, the President is the Government. That is why he is above the law, can summon MPs to State House and dictate how motions go in Parliament and cause the Constitution to be changed to allow him hire or fire the Inspector General of Police. That is why hapless government functionaries must invoke and intone the name of the President every time they address multitudes.

It explains why MPs only feel important when they address the president directly, take selfies with him and post on social media. This explains why government institutions like EACC, IEBC and the Police that should ideally enjoy a level of independence, are so toothless. It also explains why the President says certain things and not only gets applauded; he gets away with it where no one else would.

While complaining of Chinese fish imports a week ago, the President uttered these words:  “Hata kama Finance Bill imepita, think outside the box. Tunaweza sema hiyo samaki ni mbaya na tunaifungia. Kuna njia nyingi serikali inaweza kufanya kazi” (Even though the Finance bill has been enacted, think outside the box. We can simply tell them the fish is bad and block importation. There are many ways a government can work).

Not only did that statement affirm the growing fear of Chinese neo-colonialism, it inadvertently told us government is mischievous and deceitful. Where it cannot follow the law, it employs underhand methods to get its way.

How much deceit have Kenyans been subjected to under the Jubilee administration, especially in light of what is now fairly obvious; that Jubilee is long on words and short on action?

Supplying nothing

Twice now, the President has harangued Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri and asked him to ensure maize farmers who, months after delivering maize to the National cereals Board are yet to receive payment yet cartels got paid paid for supplying nothing. While that should have cowed the CS, it did not. He came out fighting; buck-passing, blaming EACC and any other institution but his ministry for the scam.

Given Kiunjuri’s deportment, coupled with unmet promises to farmers regarding their dues, it is easy to conclude that the President’s publicly displayed anger; seemingly rooting for farmers, is but choreographed.

The government is financially handicapped; it does not have money to pay farmers their dues and is buying time, perhaps waiting for the recently passed Finance Bill to rake in millions from exorbitant taxes that have driven Kenyans deeper into misery and penury.

Too much that hurts the common man, but touches the core of government through well connected individuals has been whitewashed, sanitised or obfuscated enough for the public to lose interest. Not much is being said about the mercury contaminated sugar today.

It is interesting that while government agencies initially confirmed the presence of mercury and lead in the contraband sugar, at some point they all did a somersault and vouched for the safety of the sugar. Bribery claims within parliament, the allegation that MPs received as little as Sh10,000 to write a favourable report after the sugar probe have fizzled out. Meanwhile, poverty stricken Wanjiku can bear the burden of cancer on her own.

Fish fingers

It has never been in dispute that billions of shillings took a walk at the National Youth Service. It is also acknowledged that the Integrated Financial Management Information System through which all government transactions are conducted is foolproof, yet despite it, nobody has been convicted of the heist at NYS. We are treated to high drama of arrests only for the suspects to end up eating fish fingers at the Kenyatta National Hospital, and thereafter, we move on to the next scandal. There has never been a shortage of them.

More disturbing, but betraying the devious hand of bureaucracy in every facet of our lives is the fact that even with all the resources at its disposal; CCTVs, training and all, the police service could not crack  a few murder cases that had fingers pointing at the government. All investigations hit dead ends.

A lot has been said about the SGR and Eurobond, all which point to a sleight of hand in managing the finances procured for setting up the SGR and raised through the Eurobond. But even though the government denied allegations of impropriety, the reality is that too much appears to have been shielded from the public.

When demolition of buildings on riparian land began a few months ago, we applauded. Today, we are being told over 500 godowns close to JKIA will be demolished. The buildings and godowns all belong to Indians.

Now, this is hypothetical; could the Chinese and Indian trade and business rivalry have been brought here? Remember, India has never been enthusiastic about the China Road and Bridge Initiative. But then, ‘serikali ina njia nyingi ya kufanya kazi’.

Mr Chagema is a correspondent at The [email protected]