New Constitution, same old waste of public money

It is a pity that after Kenyans ushered in a new constitution with pride and enthusiasm, that the government has taken advantage of that opportunity to recklessly and unnecessary spend public money, in the process enriching a few of its cronies.

Constitutions are changed and amended every now and then by different countries all over the world — including the US, Japan, UK, France and Germany — but they don’t celebrate when carrying out such activities and responsibilities. Why this frenzy by our government?

It beggars imagination that the government has spent over Ksh250 million ($3.1 million) to promulgate the new constitution when there are a myriad problems affecting the people that it has failed to address.

Resettlement of internally displaced people has become a perennial problem for years now.

Not long ago, IDPs were asking the government to give them just about 100,000 shillings each so that they could settle down but sadly the government declined to support its own people.

Yet now it has money for a massive celebration. What a big joke!

Kenyans have been taken for a ride for too long. It is now time for people to arise against abuse of power and misuse of public funds.

The new Constitution was voted in by millions of Kenyans but it appears that the same type of leadership is still carrying on doing what they know best — misappropriating and misusing public money and resources at will anytime they feel like.

I don’t remember Tanzania, Uganda or Rwanda for that matter inviting all other regional governments to celebrate a change or an amendment in their constitution.

The main questions poor Kenyans are asking themselves at this time is what there is to celebrate about?

It is the responsibility of any chief executive of a country or company to make changes necessary for moving the country forward and the Constitution is one such change.

Facilitating a successful referendum is similarly the job of any credible government elected into office by the people.

Lots of unaccounted-for public money was used during the campaigns for the referendum.

Now a cool 250 million has been used to decorate Uhuru Park, to entertain guests etc when this same government cannot even afford to pay teacher’s salaries. Similarly, the role of the military is to defend the country from attack and not to spend money on beautiful march-pasts at Uhuru Park.

Kenyans are losing their lives nearly every day at the hands of bandits in borders areas — that is where the presence of the military is needed, not at Uhuru Park.

Many Kenyans are languishing in poverty and surviving on less than a dollar per day. People cannot afford three meals a day or one decent meal for that matter. Others are living on.

Many lives are being lost on a daily basis because of lack of medicine in public hospitals. Many youths are involved in crimes and are losing their lives at the hands of police every day because of lack of employment and school fees.