Four freedoms Kenyans are craving for now

A campaign billboard for Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya alliance flag bearer Raila Odinga with a freedom message displayed along Valley Road on July 19, 2022. [Edward Kiplimo,Standard]

On December 12th this year, we will celebrate our 60th year of political freedom from more than six decades of painful British colonial rule.

Kenya entered the independence era in 1963 on a surge of optimism and a mood of Kwame Nkrumah's euphoria, "Seek ye first the political kingdom and all else will follow."

If Kenya's history is examined in the light of day since our first dance of freedom, the scale of our achievements and challenges to date appear to balance out.

Kenya was too deeply affected by mass poverty, illiteracy, shortage of skilled manpower, absence of national democratic culture, diseases and drought to allow for easy solutions.

Nevertheless, during the past 59 years, we have demonstrated great resilience. While Kenya's population was only nine million in 1963, today its about 53 million. The nation's GDP is $110 billion, following the models of Nigeria and South Africa. Our new style of democratic probity, governance is something to be proud of.

By and large we have lived by our national calls of 'Harambee, peace, love and unity.'

Yet majority of Kenyans are saying, "We are craving for four freedoms as our present economic and social situations are two steps forward and one step backward". There is need for collective action.

The first freedom Kenyans are seeking is from mal-administration and technical backwardness. How can we move from mere struggling to arriving?

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIA6) of 2016 shows highest overall governance to date is just 50.8 out of 100.00. This unsatisfactory governance (below 51 per cent) for whole of Africa.

Any country can grow fast from being a Third World to a First World by simply maturing from the menace of mal-administration and technical backwardness. Nations fail because of poor decisions by those in power rather than their cultures, geography or climate.

This is the decade for timeless statesmanship and meritocratic public service.

The second freedom Kenyans are longing for is from extreme mass poverty. Recent headlines capture these national pains of lack of basic incomes for majority of the households. "Parents" shocker on varsity fees plan; Auctioned, pain of bills, high taxes, Shame of 4,000 jobless doctors. How counties paid Sh35 billion to ghost workers; Northern Kenyan faces a looming disasters as drought intensifies, Sh1.2 billion for bursaries for poor learners "missing".

Economic development and achievement of liberty, freedom from massification of poverty has its roots in politics. We have rights therefore we are. We vote, therefore we become.

The third freedom we are craving for is from insecurity, violence and social tensions. Some factors that spark insecurity and violence are election issues, climate change, and inter-ethnic conflicts over grassing lands and other matters.

The most common transnational threat Kenyan faces today according to studies include terrorism, drug smuggling, corruption and proliferation of small arms. The present security matter is so bad in the Rift Valley and other places, the KDF and the police service have combined their forces under the leadership of Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.

The fourth freedom Kenyans are craving for is from ignorance, diseases and inefficiencies in our public and private sectors. Let us get it right.

Today more than ever, our national security depends on the reach and quality of our educational systems.

Education, health and efficient management of our public institutions are not options.

They are necessity for our good standard of living, and national security and prosperity. We are a nation of brave, optimistic people who see "fear" for what it is - acronym that translate into "False Evidence Appearing Real".

Time is now for our leaders to rediscover Kenya, put our house in order, inspire the nation and deliver national prosperity.

This is the moment to ensure all Kenyans have their four freedoms to be a world class nation. We deserve nothing less.

The writer is a strategic consultant in Nairobi