Is President Uhuru losing control of his new regime?

By Alexander Chagema

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his administration are  missing the chance to unify a country torn apart by the 2013  General Election and it appears he is being pushed, slowly but inexorably, into a corner. Pretending all is well is living a lie, we must face reality. The last minute cancellation of the president’s attendance of the Kisii funeral last week for the victims of a horrific road accident put a huge dent on the President’s amiable  easy going demeanor that had earlier marked him as a people’s President. The intelligence service must have advised him to skip on account of a ground swell of hostility. Or did it not?

Outspoken governors have painted the Jubilee administration in bad light , accusing it of schemes to kill devolution using the National Assembly.

That puts a dent in the President’s armour. The widespread insecurity across the country does not inspire confidence in the government’s ability to protect its citizens.

In the last three months, bandits  have ruled  the country by night as the police are rumoured to be on a go-slow. The intelligence service is  completely ineffectual , unable to arrest perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Rhetoric from those in authority is grating on our ears and the

Government must be seen to protect its citizens .

With a bicameral Parliament in place , the Senate is at war with the National Assembly over supremacy  at the expense  of matters critical to the country’s well being. That the President seems to be predisposed towards the National Assembly gives credence to the claim he is against county governments that are covertly perceived to be usurping his authority.

The grandstanding between Government and teachers revealed the country was broke  with nowhere to go for aid or grants - a consequence of our political choices, a reminder we needed friends.

The West is abandoning us and the rate at which non-governing organisations are closing up is alarming. The economic situation is so bad even hawkers who sell small and cheap items are feeling the sting .   

But what has portrayed the Jubilee administration as being obsessed with numerical strength as opposed to good governance was the Makueni  Senate seat by-election. 

Jubilee shot itself in the foot in their spirited attempts to lock out the CORD coalition from participating in it.

On paper , the free maternity services are big ticks for Jubilee but the rest of its promises remain just that . With all this turmoil distracting him , the president cannot claim full control of his Government.