The
Jubilee Government will be clocking 100 days in office on July 19th,
2013, and as has become the norm in Kenya, many analysts and observers are
looking back at the period to gauge early successes and failures.
The
first 100 days is a measure of a president’s achievements that originated in
the United States of America, after president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) achieved
much success in this time when he came into office in 1933. FDR came into
office in March 4th 1933 at a time of great economic suffering and
political upheaval. With record levels of unemployment, poverty, bank failures
and civil unrest among the population, the country was looking for leadership.
President
Franklin Roosevelt provided this leadership. Working with the American congress,
he passed no less than FIFTEEN major bills in his first 100 days in office, commissioning
major public works to build dams, bridges, schools and hospitals, thus providing
employment to thousands of unemployed. He passed wide ranging legislation for
the stock markets, the financial sector, and welfare provision to the poorest
people, pumping money into circulation and offering reassurance and leadership
through regular state broadcasts and speeches.
When
the Jubilee Government’s first 100 days is compared to FDR, it wilts in the
great man’s achievements. This is because of many factors, not least of all the
circumstances are vastly different. This is not to offer an excuse to Uhuruto’s
perceived failures, but rather to explain their performance in the proper
political, economic and social context.
According
to William Hasser, Roosevelt’s success worked because the Americans were
undergoing the worst economic times in their history. There was no time for
cheap politicking, when the military was actually prepared for a civic unrest
of epic proportions, and belief in the American economic and political system
was at an all-time low. When the Jubilee Government and President Uhuru Kenyatta
came into office, it was after a bruising political battle that split Kenya into
two, exposing ethnic and social fault lines, and requiring Supreme Court
arbitration to decide the winner of a hotly contested presidential election.
The
new administration had a new constitution, new presidential system of
government and new institutions such as the county system to contend with. There
were new hurdles to be negotiated; not least the strict constitutional and
parliamentary checks that stipulated that gender, regional and tribal balances
have to be met in any new administration. President Kenyatta, on the campaign
trail promised “to take measures to make Kenya a fairer, healthier and better
educated country.” Yet, looking at the ethnic composition of his cabinet, many Kenyans
feel shortchanged. The ethnic composition of the cabinet looks skewed towards
rift valley and central regions. The TJRC report is out, and there are rumors
that some chapters were erased after pressure from government. How is this fair?
The Kenyan taxpayer spent KES nine Billion on this commission. Will we see the
fruits of this, with land reforms, a strong national land commission and apologies
to the most affected by government massacres and assassinations in the past? It
does not look good.
The Jubilee government
promised to abolish fees charged when Kenyans go to public health care
facilities. They also vowed to abolish all maternal fees in public hospitals,
as well as giving all kids joining standard one, free solar-powered laptops. The free maternal care has been implemented. For this, kudos must be given to the
government. Attainment of the MDG goal of improving maternal health is crucial
to our country’s economic and social development. It remains to be seen,
however, how more strain on the public hospitals’ resources as a result will be
dealt with.
The government
would also “pass legislation to ensure that no child is out of school or a
training institution until they reach the age of 18.” I am yet to see or hear
of this legislation. Indeed, 100 days down the line, the promise to make Kenya
a better educated country is looking like a sick joke. Public school teachers
are spending their fourth week at home having taken strike action and the government
is looking unwilling, unable and disinterested in solving this crises. Instead,
the Attorney General is busy taking court action, which is threatening teachers
with fines, jail time and unpaid salaries for “contempt of court.” How does
this make Kenya a more educated country? Laptops are all well and good, but who
will teach the kids to use them if the teachers are not on board? What of the
kids with no food in their stomach, or roof above their heads in class, are
laptops the biggest need they have at the moment?
Deputy
President William Ruto promised to ensure that the country is secured, so that
investors, tourists, farmers, businessmen feeling safe. This was meant to be
the Jubilee Government’s first priority. Yet, within a few days of being sworn
in, Kenyan citizens were being slaughtered in Bungoma County, with many
receiving advance warnings via SMS of attacks. The Jubilee Government was
caught flat footed. Murders between warring clans in the northern county of Mandera
have ended lives of tens of innocent Kenyans. How many people have been
arrested and charged? How many Kenyans can honestly say they feel safer after
the Jubilee Government took over? The turf wars between the inspector general
of police and the national police service commission can’t have made work
easier. The jubilee government needs to do more in security, and the
deportation of foreign nationals is not the way to do this. Let these people
have their day in court, I am sure many people in public service, government
and police service will be tainted. Could this be why the Nigerians, Ethiopians
and others are being deported?
100
days since the jubilee coalition took over government, and the youth funds as
well as 30% procurement reserved to be for the youth is yet to be launched. Dennis Itumbi posted on facebook that this will begin to be implemented this month. I will
be looking critically at this in the future, but it is good that the government
has not forgotten the youth, despite not appointing any young person (under 30
years) to cabinet. Let us wait and see how that goes.
The
Jubilee Government has had to deal with the harshest of divisions, legitimacy
tests, criminal proceedings as well as new laws governing their conduct, making
the implementation of policies that much more difficult. Basically, the first
100 days are not so important to its legacy, as what it does in the next five
years to make life better for many Kenyans who vumilia to be citizens.
What
is important is providing leadership to Kenyans in times of institutional
crisis, security concerns and emergencies such as the teachers’ strike. Instituting
policies and measures that will ensure that five years down the line, the
government will have delivered on its policies and promises to make Kenya a
fairer, more educated and healthier nation should be the priority. Dealing with
historical injustices, ethnic and social class hatred and differences, as well
as promoting the constitutional implementation and security and economic
development is important too. I hope the government improves on all these
areas, because, so far it is not looking good.
Jubilee's scorecard is poor. The President is not even in control http://otienodickson.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeletethings may improve in terms of getting used to governing and implementing the agenda.,but to convince much of the country that was bitterly opposed to his presidency is going to be massively difficult.
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