Let President and Raila political marriage lead to better services

President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga after the African Union Commission elections in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 15, 2025. [File, Standard]

The human suffering in our midst is without definition. We have abandoned the vulnerable members of society to their own devices. There is a pervasive feeling that the Kenyan dream lies comatose on the operating table. Our senior citizens, after a lifetime of work, are unable to access their pensions and retirement benefits. Those who can access the benefits realise that the tax regime and the cost of living is lurking in the shadows like a mugger in the dark. When they fall sick, they also discover that the healthcare system has completely collapsed. the healthcare professionals' union bodies constantly have to plead, cajole and threaten the government to do the right thing.

When I take a mental flight into the future, what I see is not very promising unless we undertake urgent remedial measure. We are dangerously hurtling towards the cliff's edge. The working class, just like the retirees, are battling an increasingly contracting employment space. The assurance of job security is gone. One day, you take your two children to school without struggle, living comfortably in your three-bedroom apartment, driving your four-by-four. The next you are jobless without even the dignity of a severance pay. In one fell swoop, dignified men and women are turned into paupers and beggars.