Political goodwill is critical to making Kenya a better country

President Uhuru Kenyatta receives the BBI report from Task Force Chairman Yusuf Haji at State House, Nairobi. [PSCU, Standard]

More than a year after it was formed, the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) task force finally presented its report to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga at State House, Nairobi, yesterday.

BBI came into being in May 2018 following the famous March 9, 2018 handshake after political opponents; Uhuru and Raila chose to put their differences aside in the interest of the nation.

Based on issues identified by Kenyans, the BBI team has come up with recommendations, most of which are good and can make Kenya a better place. They include enhancing national cohesion, bolstering the war against corruption, empowering youths to get jobs and income and banning public officers from doing business with the government.

But ironically, perhaps with the exception of the introduction of a Prime Minister’s position and that of Minister of State, most of the issues raised by BBI are in our statutes and government policies.

However, lethargy on the part of government and lack of political goodwill have ensured they are never satisfactorily addressed. For instance, corruption is getting out of hand despite existence of various agencies, including EACC, to tackle it. Ethnic animosity keeps raring its ugly head despite existence of National Cohesion and Integration Commission and stringent laws, unemployment has skyrocketed although we have government agencies and many tasked with boosting job opportunities.

Despite Chapter 6 of the Constitution outlining how leaders should behave, some of them still behave like rogues. The time frame for actualising the two-thirds gender representation elapsed months ago without Parliament actualising the recommendations. Parliament has consistently challenged the authority of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission when it comes to their pay. In addition, elected leaders have taken every opportunity to act contrary to constitutional provisions.

The point is we are not short of laws and policies to address the challenges raised in the BBI. These issues are not new.

The question is whether there will be political will to implement the document if Kenyans give it the thumbs up. If the powers that be fail to push through the recommendations, BBI will only end giving Kenyans false hopes. 

In fact, Kenya has had many false dawns. At independence, Kenyans thought that by throwing out the colonialists, oppression and greed would go. But they have remained. The 2010 Constitution drove our hopes to a crescendo but soon after frustration set in. In fact, for Kenyans the more things change the more they remain the same–or even worsen. We can only hope that things will be different with BBI. But that will depend on whether the government wants them to be.