10 years of big promises, but what's there to show for it?

A man who attempted to heckle the president during Madaraka Day celebrations being led away by security. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday made his ninth and last Madaraka Day speech as he exits after two five-year terms.

During similar celebrations a few months after winning the March 2013 General  Election, Uhuru promised that the Jubilee administration would provide free laptops for pupils.

The President promised to set aside resources for building the capacity of teachers in lower primary schools, content development, computer labs in 10 schools per constituency, and electricity connection.

The project turned out to be a white elephant for the Jubilee administration, floundering in the few institutions it was launched.

The fight against corruption and impunity, which the president termed a major hindrance to the country’s progress, was also highlighted in his speech.

“Corruption not only degrades the moral fabric of our society but also causes immense suffering to our people. Most importantly, corruption compromises the ability of the Government to provide effective and efficient services to its people and jeopardises our nation’s future,” he said.

The President also pledged to ensure conclusion of the restructuring of the provincial administration as per the 2010 Constitution.

The Uhuruto government, he said, prioritised transport and logistics to reduce costs, and to was determined to the economy competitive.

To ensure the availability of affordable food for all, the administration was to focus on agricultural transformation.

Security, too, was a priority.

Uhuru spoke of affordable, adequate and accessible water and energy for households and investors, quality and equitable education for all school-going children, free maternal health and access to quality health care.

He promised affordable and accessible credit to youth, women and persons with disabilities.

A year later on the same day, the President announced that during his government’s first year in power, the country attained GDP growth of 4.7 per cent, terming it as the reason why the Youth Enterprise and Development Fund distributed more than Sh1.8 billion to 130,000 young people in 21,000 groups in 2013.

President Uhuru Kenyatta. [PSCU]

“My government also established the Galana Irrigation Scheme last year, which will eventually bring a million acres under irrigation. This year, we have set aside more than Sh3 billion to continue the project. Kenya’s food supplies will be secured,” he said.

The President announced that at last count, two-thirds of deliveries were in the hands of trained personnel – fewer mothers suffer unnecessarily in childbirth, with Sh4 billion set aside to strengthen the programme.

The security sector would also feature in this speech, with Sh2.9 billion set aside for recruitment of 10,000 police officers in 2014 and new housing and insurance schemes.

Then came Madaraka day in 2015, where the President promised that 30 per cent of all tenders in government institutions were ring-fenced for marginalised groups: youth, women and persons with disabilities. He said that since the programme was launched, 8,464 companies had won tenders worth billions of shillings.

Cheap electricity

He announced the launch of the Last Mile Connectivity Project with 40,000 transformers commissioned, lighting up many villages across the country. To ease access, the cost of electricity connection would drop from Sh35,000 to Sh15,000.

“That smaller sum can be paid in instalments so that every Kenyan has the power he needs to improve and to prosper by investing in enterprises that add value, the project complements our school electrification programme, under which every primary school in the republic will have electricity within the next few months,” he said.

In 2016, the President said in three short years the government had transferred more than Sh1 trillion to the counties “bringing paved roads where there were none before; bringing clean water to households that had long thirsted for it, and bringing medicines to some of the most vulnerable Kenyans.”

Uhuru also announced that his administration had built more kilometres of roads in his first three years in office than what was built in the first 50 years of the country’s independence.

In 2017 the President said the government had subsidised fertilizer for farmers and waived debts for others. Recommendations of the Coffee Sector Implementation Committee had also been approved where  a debt waiver for coffee farmers’ SACCOs and unions amounting to Sh478 million was agreed.

Deputy President William Ruto. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

According to the President, Sh1.7 billion on STABEX funds, through the Cooperative Bank of Kenya, had been waived. Consequently, title deeds once held as collateral by the bank had been returned to cooperative societies and individual farmers.

In 2018, Uhuru’s speech centred on eradicating corruption and unifying a country sharply divided following the hotly contested 2017 polls that saw a repeat presidential election.

He regretted that some of those trusted to run and manage resources and safeguard the public interest had turned into predators.

To remedy this, the Head of State pledged to have all heads of procurement and accounts undergo fresh vetting, including polygraph testing, to determine their integrity. This was to be concluded before the start of the 2018/2019 financial year.

Uhuru did make good on his promise to unite the country through the ‘Handshake’ with Opposition leader Raila Odinga, which brought peace and a conducive business environment.

In his speech in 2019 in Narok, Uhuru pledged to ensure doubling the number of mortgage facilities from 26,000 to 60,000 by 2022.

“As your President, I look forward to handing over no less than 500,000 house keys to first-time homeowners between now and Madaraka Day 2022,” said Uhuru.

Uhuru also unveiled the Competency-Based Curriculum, which he said would local students globally competitive.

Despite his call for the implementation of the drought mitigation plan, human and animal suffering due to drought continues.

In 2020, Covid-19 struck and Madaraka day was marked at State House. During the fete the president announced the revival of the defunct Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line, traversing six counties.

During last year’s Madaraka day, Uhuru used the platform to re-emphasize the need for the Building Bridges initiative, which had been nullified by the courts and promised to ensure political stabilisation by any means necessary.