Why the cost of living should be main agenda of bipartisan talks

Azimio leader Raila Odinga and Pesident William Ruto. [File, Standard]

There was a sigh of relief when President William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza administration and Raila Odinga-led Azimio La Umoja released a joint press statement committing to establish a bipartisan committee that will examine prevailing political crisis in the country.

The statement identified five compelling issues upon which discussions will be predicated. The first one is reconstitution of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ensure that it reflects the interests of all political players and perhaps restore credibility and electoral integrity that could potentially cure perpetual cycle of acrimonious electoral dispute surrounding presidential elections.

The second is implementation of the two-thirds gender rule envisioned to rectify gender disparity in leadership positions and possibly anchor affirmative action that could ensure each gender has equal access to opportunities in the society. The third seeks to entrench in law the Constituency Development Fund so that every constituency can continue to benefit from financial disbursement for specific purposes.

The fourth is creation of the office of the Leader of Opposition party or coalition with a constitutionally defined mandate, including providing staff and budget for the office holder. The fifth one is embedding the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary into the constitution and making it a legally recognised and protected State office. This agreement came hot on the heels of demonstrations that had escalated into political crisis emboldening a growing fear among citizens and the international community that Kenya was debasing into an irredeemable political crisis that could jeopardise national and regional political and economic landscape.

If it will be accorded the good political will that it deserves, this temporary ceasefire between leading political protagonists will be monumental in calming down political temperatures, jump-starting a political healing process and restoring political stability that is necessary for socioeconomic development. To most people’s consternation, however, the agreement between the government and the opposition then did not reflect critical, urgent and immediate issues that are affecting “we the people.” Let me reiterate from the outset that recent demonstrations and protests were prominently inspired by the high cost of living around which a staggering majority of Kenyans coalesced, regardless of their political affiliations and regional inclinations.

Although Azimio sought the opening of the IEBC servers to audit presidential election results, reconstituting IEBC and government interference with opposition political parties–these issues paled in the face of evolved circumstances around the high cost of living. Unfortunately, the main issue of high cost of living that was people-centric, which was being advocated by Azimio was included, perhaps as an afterthought, among the issues of discussion later. Yet, with Kenya Kwanza's invasive and aggressive taxation regime that has been imposed on essential commodities, the cost of living has gone through the roof and has exposed people’s vulnerabilities to unprecedented economic hardships.

A majority of Kenyans can’t afford sufficient food, healthcare services, education expenses, transportation costs, housing costs, and virtually every other basic services due to skyrocketing prices that have been exacerbated by increased taxes. It is against this backdrop that a majority of Kenyans expected politicians to prioritise the high cost of living as a burning issue of discussion. Sadly, the issues that both Kenya Kwanza administration and Azimio are prioritising aren’t the issues that are near and dear to the hearts of the ordinary citizens.

In principle, some of the issues listed by the bipartisan committee for discussion do not resonate with most Kenyans. Those issues were coined with politicians’ interests in mind. A few positions will be created to appease the chosen few. It is unacceptable for the political class to conspire to create positions for each other while neglecting important issues that people care about which primarily revolves around high cost of living, dilapidated healthcare systems, unemployment and unmitigated corruption that continues to undermine Kenya’s prosperity.

If the bipartisan committee cannot discuss issues of the people, it should not be allowed to discuss the issues of the politicians. People must come first.

Mr Ambuka is a US-based commentator. [email protected]