UhuRuto need a break with the past to steer real growth

By Billow Kerrow

KENYA: If you just landed back in Nairobi after a 10-year absence and read the newspapers to catch up on what is going on, you would probably be surprised little has changed in how we do things. The high-octane political rhetoric drowning the public, the spontaneous hollow pledges by leaders and the skeptical audience, the usual claims of grand graft in high places, political appointments based on ethnicity rather than merit, unabated insecurity, runaway public expenditure, etc. The occasional visitor to the country would be forgiven if he thought we are a nation stagnant in time.

Most Kenyans were excited when UhuRuto took office and went about forming their Cabinet in a fresh, flamboyant and professional manner. But it did not take long before they started receding into the usual bureaucracy removed from the reality and adopting the usual political culture of the previous regimes characterised by denial, defiance and delirium.

Many Kenyans now express reservations on how the duo have allowed themselves to be surrounded by court jesters as advisors, exhumed the culture of sycophancy of the 1980s by its supporters and rewarding of its political cronies with plum state jobs.

They inherited a country with nearly 50 per cent of its citizens living below the poverty line and carry the burden of having to educate their children in a system where quality is declining; where the public health service delivery has collapsed in many areas, and where security for our lives and property have been surrendered to the Almighty because of the state of our security forces.

They also inherited a country yet to heal from the 2007 post-election violence and the emergent curse of ethnicity, and plunder of public resources. Regrettably, they have been “conquered” by the usual state bureaucracy, influence peddlers and fly-by-night dealers, all of whom have succeeded in torpedoing their plans. There is still the usual political patronage in resource allocation at the national level; political expediencies still inform public policy, and national priorities in our development blueprints remain increasingly sidelined.

As we enter the budgetary phase for 2014/15 cycle, we expect the government to refocus on the priorities of the ordinary folks whose lives are becoming more difficult, courtesy of our elitist economic policies. Improving the quality of education of our children requires that we address the massive teacher shortages, in addition to building appropriate infrastructure and tools that will endear children to school. We must re-engineer the Teachers Service Commission to be an effective player in revamping the quality of education in the country.

We must address the glaring poverty and economic inequalities in our midst that will stunt the growth and development of our economy. The latest survey in this regard by Kenya Bureau of Statistics would greatly inform the government on the sectors, and the counties that need urgent intervention. We must develop clear, measurable strategies on how to tackle poverty and create jobs.

The duo must not entertain non-performers and mediocrity in public service because of political expediency. Similarly, they should be bold enough to crack the whip on corruption and wastage in public service.

Let’s not be strangled by the same old bureaucracy of sluggishness, indifference and ignorance that has retarded our progress. It is important that the President must not dillydally on poor service delivery and incompetence; he must act fast if he truly wants to make a difference on how things are done in his government. Without a bold and impartial approach, we will forever be yapping about our development priorities without real progress.