Taking stock of Uhuru's promises on last Jamhuri Day as president

President Uhuru Kenyatta unveils the monument of Kenyan independence hero and pan-Africanist Ronald Ngala, December 11, 2021. [PSCU, Standard]

Kenyans will be expectant as President Uhuru Kenyatta officiates his ninth and final Jamhuri Day celebrations today.

Over the years, he has made a number of pledges to Kenyans and today they will be taking stock of his achievements since he came to power in 2013.

In his firs term in office, the country was full of hope after he promised employment opportunities, improved healthcare services, double digital economic growth and improved security.

Donning matching suits with his deputy, William Ruto, they often referred to each other as “My friend” or “My Brother William or Uhuru” and inspired the eight million-odd people who had voted for them that they were inseparable.

During Uhuru’s first Jamhuri Day celebrations that coincided with the country’s 50th independence anniversary, Kasarani Sports Centre was full to capacity and over 10 heads of State attended to witness the new president lead the celebrations.

The president committed to completing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Greenfields Terminal to enhance Kenya’s and the Eastern Africa region’s competitiveness.

“They will also provide opportunities for employment to our youth, during construction and after completion. To further deepen our infrastructure development, my government, in collaboration with our neighbours, has committed to undertake the Lamu Port South Sudan and Ethiopia Transit (LAPSSET) project, which will open a second major corridor of development in this region,” Uhuru promised.

In 2017, the Madaraka Express (SGR) roared to life.

He also pledged to create a united and prosperous nation devoid of ethnic or parochial divisions and went on to ask his rival Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka that although Opposition was part and parcel of strong democracy, it was not hatred.

“Our shared goal is to end meaningless ethnic tensions and rivalry and to unite all our citizens. I am determined to provide leadership towards the attainment of this noble objective. A united Kenya has tremendous potential for growth and development,” the president said.

Today, Raila, a former arch-rival, is a close ally, a Handshake partner, while Kalonzo has teamed up with other One Kenya Alliance principals ANC’s Musalia Mudavadi, Kanu chair Senator Gideon Moi and Senator Moses Wetang’ula (Ford Kenya) to chart a different path to the presidency.

Apart from the politics, the president then, read the riot act to civil servants engaged in graft and reiterated the need of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which had just been fully constituted, to investigate and bring to book all suspected to be corrupt.

In 2015, he read the list of shame from the EACC, which shook his administration as he directed four Cabinet Secretaries and top government officials whose names were on the list to resign. The list with 175 names was submitted as an addendum to Parliament during his State of the Nation Address. It had 10 names of governors too.

This came at the height of the Sh791million National Youth Service (NYS) scandal that forced then Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru to resign. The affected CSs included Kazungu Kambi, Charity Ngilu, Davis Chirchir and Eng Michael Kamau.

Elusive graft fight

The Director of  Public Prosecutions (DPP) has approved and charged in court high profile personalities probed by EACC and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations but winning war on graft remains elusive.

“If there is one issue that has frustrated me, it is corruption, because the pressure is on me to do something about it,” said Uhuru, referring to it as an issue that had been at the centre stage of every Kenyan public debate.

Uhuru once said that government loses Sh2 billion daily to graft, the strongest indication that despite his commitment to fight graft in his first Jamhuri Day speech, he has not succeeded. While the president seems to have made true his promise of uniting the country through the  Handshake with Raila that happened after Uhuru’s second term and completion of the major infrastructural projects, his government is performing badly on creation of jobs, fighting graft and growing the economy to double digits.

For example, on December 17, 2019, the president launched the  Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Nairobi to Naivasha, replacing the old metre gauge railway.

On May 20 this year, the president unveiled Lamu Port, with the transshipment port targeting to link Kenya to South Sudan, Ethiopia and the middle belt of Africa. In December 2017, he announced Big Four agenda that would focus on food security, affordable housing, manufacturing, and affordable healthcare for all.

On housing, he promised that before the end of his term, over 500,000 housing units would have been built. With a year to the end of his term, the promise seems to be elusive.

“By the end of my term, 500,000 more Kenyans will own their homes. We shall do this by reducing the cost of mortgages; by cutting the cost of construction through the use of innovative technologies and materials; and by raising low-cost funds from private and public sector for investment in large-scale housing construction,” he said in 2017.

While addressing the nation on the backdrop of protests called for by Raila and Opposition team, he warned the protestors. “Anything outside the Constitution is a hostile intrusion. Whoever destroys property, whoever chooses senseless violence over constitutional order – all these are enemies of the republic. That is how they will be treated,” he said.

Today, Uhuru is expected to give an audit of various projects his administration has implemented and probably explain why some of the promises have remained a pipe dream.

Pundits say while he has fulfilled some of the promises, he has failed in the fight against graft, growth of the economy and creation of jobs.

“While Covid-19 became a major impediment to the president’s promises, especially on the growth of the economy, his government has failed totally to stop the wanton corruption and this will be a major task for the person who takes over from him,” Dr Judy Makira, a lecturer at Embu University, said.

Charles Mwangi Nganga, a Murang’a County MCA, said Jubilee had failed to support the counties on releasing their budgetary allocation on time despite the president’s commitment.