An open letter to Uhuru's successor

Dear Mr. Next President, 

Let begin by saying how sad I am at the sorry state of affairs in the country. Gone are the days when I used to enjoy every moment of my being alive. Gone are the days when I could wake up on a Saturday morning and go to the playground with my friends and play football till dusk. Those days really seem to have slid away, and it is not because I have outgrown the games we used to play, it is because that harmony is altogether non-existent in the current society. The very social legitimacy and communal order have been denatured irretrievably.

As you take the oath of that presidential office, always know that nothing is as supposed to be, and it is your duty to restore normalcy. You are inheriting an economy saddled in recession and endemic corruption with a big percentage of its leaders in no mood to put things right. The fiscal discipline that was witnessed in the early part of the millennia has now disappeared, and what we have is an unlikely appendage of what true leadership is all about. Again, it is your duty to chop off this appendage and find the true exoskeleton of hygienic politics and leadership. Our country is on the collapse; you have to struggle to do that which is good and right.

Mr. President, you also realize that the public debt has risen tremendously, and virtually every Kenyan, even toddlers and the yet to be born, have debts exceeding half a million. I know it will be a tall order for you to repay this completely, but you will have to set the tempo for future redemption. Under your leadership, we can set out plans to start repaying the Chinese debt and repay that which we owe the Commonwealth. The debt is almost unimaginable, and we cannot repay it by wishful thinking and pronouncement of mumbo jumbo, WE MUST ACT.

I also had to say, Mr. President, that the rates of unemployment in the country are simply damning. In excess of 5.6 million young Kenyans fresh out of institutions of higher learning are unemployed. I am aware that you do not have jobs at State House, but at the behest of your power, we can start creating avenues to accommodate the thousands of them graduating every year and with nothing to do. And, Mr. President, you also need to infuse these young and energetic minds in the decision making processes of your administration. If only there was a way in which you could have them there, I can promise you that things will be all well. As you have already seen, previous regimes have had too much of the old guard, and things have crumbled at their most critical points. If only you can find a way of infusing them.

Another critical thing that you will need to look at is the agricultural sector. You understand that nearly half of our Gross Domestic Product has come either directly or indirectly from the Agricultural Sector. If you are to repay the loans and balance the payments vis a vis government expenditure, agriculture will have to be given a lot of priority. That is the known and sure way in which our economy will continue thriving and compete with the rise of Rwandese and Ethiopian economies in Africa.

Besides that, Mr. President, you may have seen the level of incompetence at critical and defining moments of the past regimes. My advice to you is to be quick in dismissing those who find it hard to do the right things and installing them with the competent. You may make a number of enemies, but in order to progress, you will have to annoy a lot of people sufficiently. Do not give them all room to sabotage your wishes for the people of Kenya.

I know this is remotely critical to you, but you should consider involving the opposition in your management and running of government business. There shall be a limit to which they are involved but do not leave them out completely. The opposition may have demons, but there are also angels who want to do that, which is good. Involve them in leadership and drive the country forward.

Lastly, you will need to allow freedom to the media. As long as the law is being followed, you should allow journalists to do their work, as long as it is hygienic. Let information flow to all levels of society. A society receiving all the information that is due can be said to be, in my opinion, democratic. May God bless and protect you.

Thank You.