Wajackoyah's manifesto radical shift from others

Roots Party presidential candidate Prof George Wajackoyah (2nd-left) with his running Justina Wamae. Right, Dr Gwada Ogot. [Wire Apondi, Standard]

Legalising bhang and rearing snakes rank high on Roots Party presidential candidate George Wajackoyah's 10-plan manifesto, dubbed the 'freedom manifesto.'

In the manifesto launched yesterday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, Wajackoyah plans to settle the country's Sh8.4 trillion debt by exporting bhang, mainly cultivated in the Mt Kenya region where he says the potential is great.

He points out that growing bhang in Nyeri would see all the 47 counties boast of two expressways.

"One acre of bhang can earn you $78,000 or Sh8 million per harvest. The whole of Nyeri County is 583,000 acres. This means that if we grow bhang in Nyeri, the residents will earn $45 billion or Sh4.6 trillion per harvest," the manifesto reads in part.

"And because bhang is harvested twice a year, it means Nyeri residents will earn $92 Billion or Sh9.2 trillion every year. This means if we grow bhang for export, Nyeri in one year will earn the equivalent of Ethiopia’s GDP."

Every Kenyan, he says, "could get a dividend cheque of Sh200,000 every year from the sale of bhang."

With the debt settled from exporting bhang, which Wajackoyah terms "the next cash crop," money earned from jointly exporting snake venom and dog meat would feed into the country's revenue. By so doing, Wajackoyah promises that Kenya "will never borrow a single coin in future."

The Roots Party presidential candidate estimates that a snake farmer would make an estimated Sh600,000 per vial of anti-venom, with exporters of dog meat earning Sh2,400 for every kilo of meat sold, which he says is six times the price of goat meat.

Such revenues would be enough to sustain the four-day working week that he and his running mate Justina Wamae promise.

Roots Party presidential candidate Prof George Wajackoyah with his running Justina Wamae at the KICC. [Wire Apondi, Standard]

"Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be holidays. Each Kenyan will be paid every two weeks. And Kenya will be a 24-hour economy," reads the manifesto.

In his plans, Kenya will not need the Standard Gauge Railway, which Roots Party calls a "symbol of Chinese colonisation."

"We will shut down symbols of Chinese colonisation. All Chinese statues along the route will be brought down. We will build our own railway systems with our own money," the manifesto states, promising to also deport "idle" foreigners who have taken over Kenyan jobs.

To safeguard Kenya's earnings, Prof Wajackoyah government also proposes to publicly hang those convicted of corruption. His ambitious plans also include passing over Nairobi's capital city status to Isiolo.

"Isiolo is the centre of Kenya. Making Isiolo Kenya’s administrative centre is the same as making Canberra Australia’s capital," reads the manifesto.

Wajackoyah also proposes to abolish the Constitution and create eight new states governed by a federal government.

He has proposed a 12-month maternity leave for mothers. According to the Kenya Employment Act, female employees are entitled to three months’ paid maternity leave. He pledged to amend the Act.