Things have fallen apart but it's not too late to fix them

It is crystal clear that things are falling apart in the country and that the centre cannot simply hold.

The recent opinion poll by Infortrak indicated that 62 per cent of Kenyans believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction. In as much as the veracity of the poll, just like many others, is subject to doubt and intense debate, it is apparent that the pollster simply relied so much on the public mood to come up with the findings.

Going by a myriad bottlenecks that the country is currently facing and the wanting response by the Government, it did not require a research to find out the general feeling of Kenyans.

Indeed, the Jubilee government has provided fertile ground for Kenyans’ apprehension about the future. On assuming power, Jubilee gave the country hope that things will never be the same again. It assured all that service delivery would improve.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto assured Kenyans that it was time for “kusema na kutenda”. Kenyans across the political divide were full of expectation as the duo literally rolled up their sleeves in rare comradeship as they set down to work.

The fact that they injected fresh breath in the way government is run was not in doubt. From the way they put together their ‘technocratic’ Cabinet to the way they initiated key projects in the country, the so-called digital chaps made Kenyans’ expectations rise.

The initial stages of the Jubilee government were characterised by a deliberate attempt to do things differently from the old regimes in a bid for Uhuruto to assure the people that they were the “real” agents of change.

However, barely two years down the line, the pair have maintained the status quo, leading to utmost public disillusionment. The old-fashioned tactics of government practised by the old regimes came into play, albeit zealously.

POLITICAL BICKERING

The appointment of political cronies and electoral rejects — including the old guard — into prime State positions happened, blatantly reneging on the campaign promise of a youthful government. Tribalism in the government went a notch higher.

There is endless political bickering between the Executive and the Opposition. The first graders of year 2014 are still waiting for the much-hyped laptops.

The country’s economy, in the wake of a weakening shilling, is worrying. Analysts point to a dire economic prognosis in light of the increasing reliance on debt. By now, no one is very certain how the billions raised from the Eurobond have been used.

Leaders in the county governments have not been left behind. They seem to be in a cut throat competition on wanton wastage, runaway corruption and questionable priorities. Service delivery has clearly become alien in these counties.

However, all is not lost. The Jubilee government still has time to realise its weakness and work towards fixing the economy, our health, education, agriculture and more importantly dealing with graft. It must realise that it has the divine and constitutional obligation to redeem this great nation from the precipice she finds herself in right now.

It all should start by the President accepting all is not right and seeking ways of amending everything. He will not be weak to admit it and instead it will prove his wisdom as the nation’s leader. More importantly, he should strive to rein in the malignant and abhorable complacency pervading his government.