Talks present an opportunity to move our country forward

**A damaged vehicle during Azimio protests along Outering road on March 30, 2023.** [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Kwame Nkuruma was certainly ahead of his time when he reminded newly independent African countries to "seek ye first the political kingdom, and all else shall be added unto you".

Politics as, as Daron Acemoglu points out in his book, 'Why nations fail' is the sceptre that is used to erect the institutions that eventually ensure that the greatest number of people can participate in governance of their affairs or if power and the economic largesse of the the country will be concentrated in the hands of the minority few at the expense of everyone else.

Prosperity is an innate human desire. To live a life of dignity and success is the reason why so many Kenyans were willing to take on the British empire so as to throw off the shackles of colonialism. It is the reason why man in his infinite wisdom, acting in enlightened self-interest, decided to form a social contract and institute a government. As such, we must constantly interrogate if the government is serving us or it's the other way round.

There persists a mindless obsession with the past administration that leaves so much to be desired; a needless attempt to replay nostalgia by the Kenya Kwanza government. One of the things that would strike you is their willingness to lie in such unintelligent way that you are left wondering if people lose common sense when they join government.

If you will remember, UDA mandarins claimed that they found only Sh93 million at the Treasury. However, they have gone ahead to allocate money for State House entertainment and other frivolous spending that are neither in tandem with prudence nor a reflection of a team keen to seize the opportunity costs of the moment.

It is an insult of the collective intelligence of Kenyans when billions of shillings are expended on a bunch of political flower girls in the name of chief administrative secretaries (CAS) in a bid to appear to be inclusive. How can we be so insensitive to falling education and healthcare infrastructure, thereby stealing the future of our children because we want to co-opt court jesters into the rank and file of the ruling party? A genuinely inclusive government would have been achieved at the Cabinet level and principal secretaries' appointment.

With the reports about the delay of the civil servants' salaries, we must, as a matter of urgency see demonstrated willingness on the part of the president to govern. We cannot have senior members of his administration talking as though they are oblivious of the enormity of the responsibility on their shoulders, unless they are sabotaging the president.

I want to remind the president that most historical turning points do not just happen. They are the work of those who use their charisma, intellect, imagination and strength of will to shape history. That empty and mindless rhetoric like "We found empty coffers'' and snidely referring to opponents as "Huyu mzee" is not the reason why 7.1 million people cast their vote for William Ruto. Governments are put in office in democracies so that more people may have a real shot at having better stories. Giving people a shot at equal dignity, an opportunity to succeed.

It is therefore incumbent upon the president to rise to a higher pedestal so that the bipartisan talks do not become mere political pressure valves but an opportunity to move this country forward on big ideas and big actions. We should all exert our minds and energies in re-imagining the country we want to pass on to future generations.

This is the moment when we must move into the future together. Let it count that in moments such as these, we had a president by the name William Samoei Ruto.

-Mr Mwaga is a Governance and Policy Expert. [email protected]