Now that the Hon Attorney General has published the Draft Constitution, are we energized to read the document and come the date of the referendum, go out and vote?
On either side of the divide, what are the issues that concern us most as Kenyans, issues that can stop us from going to vote? Is it only fine to get a voters card and be a voting machine every five years? Are there issues that when well handled by the Government will make it lively for as many Kenyans to come out and vote?
Having read the Draft Constitution, I am convinced that it is offering us some hope. It is geared towards Service Delivery by the state organs. It is geared towards creating accountability and ensuring that the buck stops with the officer in charge.
It has effectively created a powerful President but not one that will be rogue. The President will seek the support of the Legislature in all State appointments. This will reward competence as it addresses issues of National Cohesion. The President will not just run amok and create as many districts as is currently obtaining. He will not reward cronies and friends in state appointments and he will have nothing to dish out in terms of ministerial appointments to political allies.
The Draft Constitution has effectively trimmed down the size of the Executive. There will be between 14 to 22 Cabinet Ministers whose titles have been changed to Cabinet Secretaries. We will have no Assistant Ministers. Some good savings here.
This is a good measure because we have all along had a bloated government whose loyalty is not to the Constitution and the people of Kenya but to the appointing authority.
The Draft has also declared the 2nd Tuesday of August in every fifth year as the date for holding the General Elections. This must be a welcome departure from the date of elections being used a secret weapon by sitting Presidents, where in most cases, our Christmas holidays has been interfered with.
The Executive arm of Government has hence effectively been contained and trimmed towards Performance and Service Delivery to Kenyans. This comes in line with the introduction of Results Based Management as a tool of enhancing and making visible what Government does to Kenyans. And we will demand no less.
The Draft has also given some muscle to the Judiciary and attempted to make it more Independent as a separate arm of Government. Just like the Legislature has succeeded in ceding off the Executive baggage, the Judiciary must also cede off the excessive Executive baggage that is weighing it down. If this succeeds, and it can only succeed by pruning off the current team that is headed by a Chief Justice who is ready and willing to trample on Justice in pursuit of sectional interests, Kenya will be on the right track towards rapid development.
Having set all these in motion, what are the issues that will make Kenyans come out in large numbers as partners in the voting process. I bet we will need to go with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs where we fulfill the needs from the very basic such as the need for shelter, food, to the more mundane needs of fulfillment and self actualization.
The people will want to see how the Government hands the need for Shelter as an immediate step. A quick tour of Nairobi will show you that next to any posh human settlement we have a slum. Muthaiga is shadowed by Mathare. Karen is shadowed by Kibera. Loresho and Lavington are shadowed by Kangemi. Kileleshwa is shadowed by Kawangware and it goes on like this. The Government must come up with immediate steps to reduce such disparities where some people live like human beings and the majority are putting up in human settlements that defy even a pig sties. Decent housing units must be a priority for this Government to help re-energize the involvement of the people in voting every 2nd Tuesday of August in the fifth year.
46 years down our Independence history, we are still grappling with food security. This is one area that must be addressed now to enable Kenyans feel that their vote truly counts. Food is so basic to all human beings. We cannot live in a society where the prices of basic commodities is well beyond the reach of the people. The government must address this and ensure that food production becomes a number one issue in the in-tray. We must produce enough to eat before we start talking of exporting anything. Food security will bring the people out in large numbers and every 2nd Tuesday of August in the fifth year, the lines will be very long during the voting exercise.
Good roads are key to rapid development. It is encouraging to note that the Government has put in a lot of efforts at improving our road network in Kenya. However, this is quickly cancelled by such dilapidated roads in the middle of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. A drive through Eastleigh roads is a nightmare. More so the patch next to the former Kenya Bus Depot.
Another worse spot is the notorious Kangundo Road, Spine Road in Komarock next to Family Bank, Ngong Road just after passing the Shade Hotel as you approach Ngong Town and we have many more roads that are beyond redemption. The Government must ensure that these roads are motorable. These are the roads Nairobians use on a daily basis, and it is these roads that will invite their participation in elective politics more readily. They will be having a reason for voting or abstaining. These roads must be fixed.
We are living in the age where electricity has ceased to be optional. It has become a necessity in our lives and it is discouraging when 46 years down in to our Independence, we still have homes and houses in Nairobi not connected to electric power. Again, for those such connected, the way bills are being generated has left a lot to be desired. These are issues Kenyans hold dear and they contribute a lot to our making decisions as to whether we will vote or not. You feel cheated when you pay for power that you never consumed and yet you are helpless, you cannot sue to seek remedy. The Government must work for Kenyans in ensuring that electric power reaches far and wide and that the mode of billing accurately reflects the units that we have consumed.
Our Education system is falling in to shambles. We are living in times when as parents we are not sure which text books are the guiding texts for instructions in Kenya. In the past, we used to know which books were the guiding tests. We had Safari Book 1 to 4 as the Principle Guide Texts for upper Primary pupils for English Tuition; Primary Mathematic from KIE for Mathematics, and these books were standard all across Kenya.
Currently, we have class 1 pupils reading all sorts of books from agriculture, music, religious studies, social studies, mathematics, English, Kiswahili, arts and craft to geography and history. Our kids are being turned to robots just because the Government has not come out with clear instruction manuals for education of our children. Parents are hence being burdened by heavy annual costs of buying and replenishing books that would otherwise not be necessary.
These are some of the issues that the government must address to ensure that parents and more Kenyans feel welcome to the voting process. Many people are so such burdened by the inequalities of life that they give up in being participants when elections are held. They feel that this is not their Government that they are electing. They have a feeling that their vote help to perpetuate a culture of man eat man society, where the leaders feed on the blood of the led.
This must be rectified and this Draft Constitution attempts to address such inequalities. Let our vote be seen in Performance and Service Delivery from those whom we have elected. Let our votes speak for ourselves that we need adequate shelter, that we need affordable food on our tables, that we need a sure education system, that we need a just metering system for the power we consume, that we need quick dispensation of justice to all litigants, that we need good roads even in Nairobi, that we need clean and constant water in our houses, that we need present medical care, that we need accountability from our leaders at the end of it all.
Only then will we see an enthusiastic turn out of voters; people who feel that they are truly voting in their Government.
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