Why you cannot wage a war against the Judiciary, civil service and prevail

What should an investor, foreign and domestic, considering sinking millions of dollars into the economy make of it? Why should other Kenyans obey the courts if the President won't?

John Mason, a respected international speaker, minister of the gospel and bestseller author states: 'A man of words and not deeds is like a flower bed full of weeds', in his book Imitation is Limitation.

Weighing carefully the utterances of the week from Kenya Kwanza's top brass, one cannot miss out on the feeling that there is something oddly private and personal about the twin priorities on housing, health cover and privatisation of key state agencies, other than public interest.

Important facts here are: one, the so-called 'plan' that prioritises these programmes seems to be only known to the President.

Key allies, insiders and advisors have resulted into social media either to explain or interpret the President's statements.

Officially, there is no formal strategic document to guide the public service on the Bottom-up Economic Transformational Agenda (BETA).

Two, all official data over the past 15 months KK has been in office does not support these initiatives. Equally, there is no proven disruptive outcome from any of their interventions thus far.

For instance, while the New Year address to the nation sought to demonstrate phenomenal achievements, the Standard Group truth meter has since found most of the key listed achievements as untrue, overstated or unproven, except for inflation. We will explore further key official data shortly.

Three, the KK top brass cannot cleanse themselves on the excesses or failures of the Uhuru Kenyatta administration that they blame for their lack of demonstrable achievements nor the opposition that they accuse of sabotage.

For all practical purposes, Parliament has been reduced to a clown of the Executive.

People's Enemy

Kenyans are acutely aware of the power of brown envelopes over the men and women they elect to represent them in the House. They have proved resilient in punishing this wayward behaviour on the ballot each successive election. In 2027 they will do it once more.

Chief Justice Martha Koome. [File, Standard]

For instance, under article 226(5) of the Constitution, the President cannot authorise any Accounting Officer to spend public funds contrary to Public Financial Management Acts verbally as was the case in Nyandarua.

That directive can only be valid if written, after which he shall take personal liability for it, and has no immunity over any loss of public funds including after exiting the political office he currently holds.

In the last three Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) CEOs surveys (conducted in July, September & November 2023), the captains of industry have consistently highlighted subdued business optimism because of high taxes, increased fuel and electricity costs, weak shilling and reduced consumer demand.

Their prospects for growth in quarter one of 2024 are still subdued except for seasonal improvements expected in tourism, financial services and agriculture.

ILO standards of employment in the country as at December 2023 show 80 per cent of Kenyans are working poor.

The CBK mobile money tracking data indicates mobile money holding declined by 0.5 per cent for the 11 months to November 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

This is the first decline in the 17-year history of mobile money transacting in the country.

Furthermore, the allegations that civil servants enjoy an unlimited health insurance cover and a 3 per cent mortgage is not only untrue, but also a setup for dedicated civil servants against the masses.

Only the President, his deputy, parliamentarians and a few other state officers enjoy such benefits.

Anyone can verify the true salaries, allowances and benefits of even the security officers attached to these dignitaries, teachers and nurses working within our communities.

With such persuasive and credible evidence, how on earth does building houses, for poor masses who cannot afford them, with levies forcefully deducted from working poor people and struggling businesses become a matter of life and death for any sensible administration?

Whose interest is all this serving, because it surely is not a newly found love for the poor masses by those currently wild power?