Jubilee Government 100 Days in Office: a Less Than Impressive Scorecard

The Jubilee Government will be clocking 100 days in office on July 19^th, 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 4^th 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.

An Accidental Blog Post; My Experiences Studying in Maseno University

I was applying for a freelance writing job online, and they needed a 200 word essay on my experiences studying in University. As I was typing the Essay, one thing led to another, and I ended up with a six hundred word essay... enjoy.

I studied Political Science in Kenya’s Maseno University from 2009. Right now, I am waiting to graduate in December. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the university, where I learnt much about political theory, public policy and political culture. The biggest impact that my university education has had on my life so far is opening my eyes on the political system and culture in Kenya.

As many may be aware, Kenya is a highly fragmented society, divided along tribal or ethnic lines. Kenya did not exist as a polity before the British made it a colony in the early years of the 20^th century, as a result there is little to unite the 43 ethnic communities into one, especially when it comes to politics and general elections that determine who gets to share the “national cake” among the citizenry.

My Political Science degree gave me insight as to why Kenya’s voters are so passionate about voting for their own tribesman into the presidency, since they firmly believe that it is only through doing so that they can guarantee jobs in the public sector, enhanced businesses with the government through tenders, and even government services such as physical infrastructure, hospitals and schools will come to their home areas.

In addition, studying in Maseno University was also a life changing experience for me as a kikuyu. Virtually all of my family and tribe were in the jubilee coalition, headed by the current president Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto. During my time at Maseno, which is located in the Luo country that was and remains an opposition stronghold, I got to understand why many Luos and Luhyas were against another kikuyu president taking over the reins of government.

 The biggest irony about my experiences in school was that when I went to visit my family in my grandparents’ home in Limuru, is that I was castigated as an ODM/CORD supporter. When I went back to school, I would become a TNA/jubilee supporter by default. At the end of the day, I ended up renouncing my hatred and disregard for Kenyans who support a political party or coalition simply because it belongs to their tribe.

I am more nuanced in how I view tribalism and ethnicity in my country as a result, although I am still appalled by ethnic violence and hate speech caused by politics. Thanks to my studies in Maseno university, I now think that ethnicity cannot be solved by uraia, Kenya Ni Mimi Na wewe sort of campaigns. Neither should it be embraced, since more often than not it leads to violence, demonization and hatred of fellow countrymen, as well as a weaker political system as a whole.

 The solution lies in a stronger civil society that can fight for economic and political rights that will benefit all Kenyans regardless of tribe, stronger political parties, understanding of tribalism and the Kenyan history, and possibly closer cultural and social ties between Kenyans of all tribes and races. Even then, it will probably not be enough. Tribalism is rife in every part of the world, from the united kingdom, the Balkan regions, the Middle East and even North America.

 It is more realistic to start by ensuring no one will ever die as a result of politics or belonging to the wrong tribe, as this happens in 2008 after the disputed presidential elections. A Kenya where majority of people feel more Kenyan than kikuyu, meru or taita is probably decades in the future and a pipe dream at the moment.

THE RIVER NILE: AFRICA'S NEXT CONFLICT?

The river Nile is the longest river in the world, flowing over 6,700 kilometres, with tributaries spanning over ten countries in eastern and northern Africa. It has long been the lifeblood of Egypt, whose economy is largely based on agriculture and depends on the river Nile waters to thrive. Thus, the security of its population and economy depends to a sizeable extent on the river Nile. Egypt has legal and historical rights to a large percentage of the waters of the river Nile, mostly treaties signed between Egypt and the British colonizers before independence.

Ethiopia, on the other hand, is the source of up to 85% of the river Nile. Yet it has largely been restricted on how much water it can use for its own economic development by treaties it either signed under duress, or it had no party to, such as the Nile waters agreement of 1929, and the 1959 Nile waters agreement between Egypt and Sudan.

the flow of River Nile, image source wikipedia

All this is about to change, as Ethiopia is building Africa’s biggest hydro power plant at a cost of no less than US $ 4.8 Billion. It hopes this power plant, named The Grand Renaissance Ethiopia Dam (GERD) will generate electricity to sell to its neighbouring countries, as well as a major boost to an economy that depends heavily on agriculture and is hampered due to its landlocked nature from developing.

When one looks at the divergent needs and interests between Egypt and Sudan on one hand, and other countries that also claim a piece of the river Nile (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania), it is clear that strong leadership and calm heads are needed to avert future potential conflicts that could occur, as well as new treaties that demarcate afresh how these countries use the river Nile, so as to ensure prosperity and peace between all countries involved.

Yet the politicians in both countries are ratcheting up the tensions, with Egyptian president saying recently in a speech that, "As head of state, I confirm to you that all options are open." He later added: "We are not calling for war, but we will never permit our water security ... to be threatened." I do not think that war is an option at the table at the moment, while the internal political dynamics of Egypt cannot be ruled out to explain why the politicians are engaging in such fierce rhetoric. According to international crisis group analyst Yasser el-Shimy, “Mursi is addressing the concerns of Egyptians regarding their water supplies, while sending a blunt message to Ethiopia and other Nile basin countries that Cairo takes this issue seriously.”

But the feeling upriver is at odds with Egypt’s sentiments. In countries such as Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya, the Nyerere doctrine which states that former colonies have no obligation to abide by treaties signed for them by Great Britain. Many analysts contend that Egypt and Sudan have gotten away with using majority of the Nile’s waters by the political instability and poverty of many of these countries upstream. As they get richer, more powerful and more ambitious, they will have the power to exploit the river Nile’s waters to their own benefit. Thus how the conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt could have ramifications for all these countries, and how they exploit this natural resource.

In the meantime, leaders will be looking keenly at the unfolding scenario and who will blink first. I am confident an agreement can and will be found, whether it will be to the benefit of the environment, the Nile ecosystem, all the citizens of the Nile basin and sustainable however, is not clear.

·         Ethiopia also has a hydro project on river Omo, that will create a reservoir and reduce the water flowing into lake Turkana, thus endangering the livelihoods of many fishermen and the populace that depend on lake Turkana for sustenance. It is not clear how Kenya plans to adjust to its construction, and save the livelihood and future of the biggest fresh water lake within its borders.

UNDP HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2013: LESSONS FOR KENYA

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its 2013 report titled “The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World” recently. As the title suggests, it focuses on the success stories of the global South, and mostly the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India and china) which have achieved tremendous economic development and improvement in human development indices. This is with a view of promoting discussion and even imitation by countries in the global north and south of the best practices adopted by these countries.

The Human Development Index was developed in the early 1990s by a group of economists including Amartya Sen, so as to more accurately measure how a country’s economic growth was being translated to improved wellbeing of its citizens. According to Wikipedia, HDI “is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education and income indices to rank countries into four ties of human development: very high human development, high human development, medium human development and low human development.”

The human development index was meant to shift the focus of development economics from national income accounting, and towards people-centered policies. It measures the life expectancy at birth, the mean years of schooling among those aged 25 years and the expected years of schooling of those aged five years, as well as the standard of living of the citizens by looking at the Gross National Income per capita.

According to the report, Kenya is ranked at 145 out of 186 countries of which data is available, in the level of low human development. Kenya has an under five mortality of 85 deaths per 1000 births, life expectancy of fifty seven years, adult literacy rate of 87%(over 15 years) and GNI per capita of 1,541 USA dollars as per 2005 rates. Although Kenya is best ranked among countries of the East African Community, with Uganda ranked 162, Tanzania 152, Rwanda at 167 and Burundi at 178, clearly there remains massive room for improvement.

The three notable “drivers of development”, according to the UNDP report, which have propelled the growth of economies such as India, Brazil, China, Mexico and Indonesia, which Kenyan policy makers might want to take heed of include the following:

• A proactive developmental state that has a long term vision and leadership, with shared norms and values, rules and institutions that build trust and cohesion, and are pragmatic in terms of policies and ideologies they adopt to bring about human development.

• Tapping of global markets. The strategy should be one of “importing what the world knows and exporting what it wants.” It is imperative that Kenya adopts a policy that is maneuvers between excessive liberalization and statism, depending on its unique capabilities. Regionalism is also encouraged, as is focusing on niche products.

• Determined social policy innovation. The report encourages public investment in infrastructure, which was largely been the case in the Kibaki administration, and looks set to continue with the jubilee government, as well as in education and health. The investment in health could certainly improve, and the free maternal service to be offered is a step in the right direction. The Kenyan government should also end discrimination and unequal treatment, according to gender, age and ethnicity. I hope the 30% rule, as well as making illegal cultural practices such as FGM and wife inheritance, as well as child marriages go a long way in fighting this. The civil society should also keep the government and leadership accountable.

Kenya can also improve include increasing the income of Kenyans, reducing poverty, gender and inter generational inequality, social integration that has been damaged by fractious politics and historical injustices, and human insecurity. Human insecurity caused by hunger, disease, crime, unemployment, human rights violations and environmental challenges is a major challenge to the jubilee government, the private sector and civil society to bring about human development. It must be addressed as a national crisis.

The UNDP report concludes that less developed countries can learn and benefit from success of emerging economies in the south, new institutions and new partnerships can facilitate regional integration and development, and new global governance institutions that reflect the new realities of a more powerful south are needed.

In a nutshell, Kenya’s human development index is much lower than I thought it would be, especially when compared with countries such as Ghana, Libya, South Africa, Mauritius and Botswana. The undo report gives clear and concise recommendations on what we should do if we want to develop, drag millions of Kenyans out of poverty and join the exciting and innovative countries of the south as an African lion that puts human development at the very centre of its policies and economic agenda.

CAN CIVIL SOCIETY RECLAIM ITS ROLE AS FIGHTER FOR MWANANCHI INTERESTS?

The civil society ought to play a bigger role in promoting peace, reconciliation and implementation of the new constitution in Kenya. Mention of civil society in Kenya elicits images of the likes of Okiya Omtata, Boniface Mwangi, and maybe AFRICOG, the “professionals” who seem to have a lot of time to be always planning this or that protest or court injunction against “MPigs” or the police. Yet the World Bank defines civil society as “the wide array of non-governmental & not for-profit organizations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of their members/others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations.” In other words, any voluntary collective activity in which people combine to achieve change on a particular issue is the civil society, as long as it is outside the government or the market.

Examples of civil society organizations include charities, neighbourhood self-help schemes, human rights campaigns, non-governmental organizations, labour unions, religious groups, and professional organizations. In Kenya this would include the Red Cross, KNUT, SUPKEM, AFRICOG, etc. it is clear from the above definitions and examples that almost every citizen interacts or is a member of civil society in one way or another.

Why is it that the “evil society” is so demonized and associated with opportunistic and tribalistic Kenyans, rather than organizations of patriotic Kenyans formed to push for good governance, self-reliance and socio-economic development? The civil society’s golden moments in Kenya are often said to be the push for multipartyism in early 1990’s when the clergy, NGOs, multilateral organizations, oppositionists to force the Moi government to repeal section 2a and make Kenya a multiparty state.

It seems to have all gone downhill from there, as opportunistic individuals in the civil society have used the platform to push for narrow tribal interests, political posts, donor funding and attention from the foreign media. Yet, the civil society, according to BBC world service, can provide a social structure in nations where the government is non-existent or rudimentary. Think of the controversial Kenyans for Kenya initiative, or the many bursaries offered by rotary foundation etc. The civil society, ever since the days of harambee have done much to promote socio-economic and political development in Kenya.

 It only has to reclaim its space from the donor funded, opportunistic and professional organizations and return to the very centre of politics and society in Kenya.

In a new dispensation where there are many more devolved governments where politicians will rob and increase salaries and benefits at every turn, it is critical that the civil society finds its voice. the government seems less than legitimate to half of the population, due to a political culture that promotes ethnic competition and winner takes all mentality. In my opinion, the government of Kenya has served to divide Kenyans since independence, and it is the role of the civil society to unite all of us to fight for implementation of the new constitution, oversight of the government and fight for the justice of all who have been beaten, discriminated against and overtaxed among us by successive governments. This is even more crucial when political parties remain to be personality driven, tribalistic and election vehicles bereft of ideology or long term strategy. One only needs to look at the way the CORD coalition is stumbling in parliament, while the jubilee government is not expected to last past the next coalition cycle at the latest.

The civil society has the potential of pushing for reforms and a better Kenya by fighting for “non-tribal” interests such as better roads, higher wages, stronger judiciary, and fighting natural disasters and calamities. Yet the labour union movement is only good at fighting for salary increases, the student unions are akin to spoilt kids only good at throwing stones and looting shops every time they demonstrate, while the NGOs are seen to be as fleeting, tribalistic and opportunistic on donor money as the government and politicians, while pushing for “western” lifestyles and agenda.

It is time every citizen recognized that we are all members of the civil society, and the only way for us to achieve long term unity, peace and economic development is for more active involvement in the politics and economy of Kenya alongside the government, pushing the government and sometimes outside the government. The days of harambee may be long gone, but by recognizing avenues through which we can all improve our lot without serikali, we may just be able to slay the dragons of donor reliance and tribalism for good.