Why Kenyans cannot wait for midnight to say goodbye to 2019 at midnight

Holidaymakers dance at Mombasa’s Travellers Beach Hotel on Christmas eve. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

For millions of Kenyans, 2019 is yet another year they cannot wait to usher out. This was the year that no less a person than President Uhuru Kenyatta wondered aloud why Kenyans were broke. The president’s dilemma captured the reality of millions of Kenyans struggling to survive on empty pockets in the face of daily reports of wastage and theft in the execution of multi-billion-shillings development projects. 

This is the year in which concerns about the country’s debt dominated public discourse, as did corruption perpetuated by cartels both in the public and private sectors.

We also saw the government caught flatfooted in its handling of a food crisis and later floods that swept across the country, where our disaster preparedness was again put to the test, and failed.

Kenyans will, therefore, be forgiven for the cloud of cynicism that hovered above the country. This cynicism was aptly covered in survey that indicated Kenyans’ disdain for the business community. It indicated that not a single business leader made it to the list of the most respected.

Clearly, there is no love lost between the business community and Kenyans, which is ironical, considering that setting business tops the list of Kenyans’ new year resolutions.

Even more, cynicism was evident in the dwindling number of Kenyans who said they admire the clergy. The latest survey indicated that only one per cent of Kenyans look up to church leaders as role models.

One remembers with nostalgia the days when the church spoke and the country would listen. Sadly, those days are gone, and this year, the church fell short of the expectations of Kenyans, according to the survey.

The Tangatanga and Kieleweke political noise did not add value to Kenyans in 2019. On the contrary, it stirred anxiety that had gone down with the famous ‘handshake’ between Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga, erstwhile political antagonists in 2018. 

Still, there was some silver lining amidst the national cynicism. This is the year that our very own Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours, proving to the world that indeed, no man is limited.

It was also the year that, for the first time, we saw senior leaders getting hauled to court to face corruption charges in one of the boldest attempts to fight the vice.

This proved that Kenyans can still look forward to 2020 with hope.