Amani says Jubilee has lost focus

By ISAAC MESO and TITUS TOO

Kenya: The Amani coalition has lashed at the Jubilee government over what they termed as loss of focus on promises it made to Kenyans in its manifesto.

 The coalition further accused the Government of using quick-fix strategies to address myriad problems facing Kenyans instead of developing stringent policies that would provide permanent solutions.

The leaders noted that instead of the Government fighting the vices it had promised, the  level of corruption was on the rise  and there was lack of foresight in management  of the national wage bill, among other issues that were  being witnessed in the government.  “It is becoming increasingly evident that Jubilee is reluctant and indeed pampering corrupt practises as evidenced in the runaway Laptop and Railway projects. Amani will not condone, be party to, tolerate or allow itself to be an accomplice by default to corruption,” said Abraham Limo, United Democratic Front (UDF) secretary general.

The leaders noted that if the Jubilee  government was serious about  fighting corruption,  the Cabinet Secretary for Education and all involved in the procurement of the project would by now have been relieved of their duties and made to account for “embarrassing” the nation.

The Amani leaders were speaking after a two-day retreat in Elementaita where they took stock of the Government’s performance one year since coming into power.

The leaders drawn from both UDF and New Ford-Kenya also accused the  Jubilee government of  practising politics of exclusion,  which has led to inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities in various parts of the country.

Punitive measures

The coalition also watered down recent move by the President and his Deputy who proposed pay-cuts on their salary, arguing  that  the move will have zero impact on  the rising cost of living , high taxation, rampant wastage of public resources  and uncontrolled  public wage bill.

“The solution to managing the ballooned wage bill is not in imprudent salary cuts. The Government has reserve silver ware which it can liquidate without punitive measures of taxing overburdened Kenyans,” read part of the statement.