Former US President Franklin Roosevelt once said that no political party has exclusive patent rights to prosperity. My Jubilee Party finds itself in a reflective moment, eight years since its inception.
Reeling from a victory in the Muguga ward by-election, and a sterling performance in Kiambaa parliamentary mini-poll, we as a party must take stock of our performance. We must re-evaluate our strategies and prepare better for future contests.
I congratulate the Jubilee candidates in these by-elections, as well as key leaders, for their sheer determination. Among them are my Nyeri Town counterpart Ngunjiri Wambugu, Kieni’s Kanini Kega, Peter Mwathi, Murangá Woman Rep Sabina Chege and Josphat Kabinga among others.
I believe we could have done better, and we will in future if we resolve a few tactical mishaps and constant errors. For starters, the time has come for President Uhuru Kenyatta to shake up his inner political circle. He should vet afresh not just his advisors, but the technocrats he has entrusted with delivering on his legacy projects, including the Big Four agenda.
In Jubilee Party, we need a conducive environment, which has been seriously lacking. Sadly, most technocrats around the president do not seem to appreciate the central sway politicians wield on the masses. You will see the president launching development projects, with minimal or zero attendance by elected leaders.
READ MORE
Political betrayal that ties of faith, prayers couldn't conquer
Insurer, bank launch instalment payment for health cover premiums
We must unmask hidden power agreements to transform politics
I will give the example of the president’s recent launch of the refurbished Kenya Meat Commission, currently under the control of the military.
Despite the critical role that communities in the arid live-stock keeping regions play in the supply of livestock to the KMC, leaders from these regions were locked out. The net effect has been devastating politically for our party. Campaigns for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) had at some point almost come to a halt as our members protested what appeared a deliberate isolation from the BBI popularisation drive; a role that civil servants had seemingly taken over.
While I appreciate the president’s honest call for deflation of the high-octane 2022 succession politics, there is a feeling within the party that technocrats have displaced politicians from the strategy table on policy.
- The writer is Eldas MP and Secretary of Jubilee Coalition Joint PG. adankeynan@gmail.com
