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NERIMA: In national discourse, let’s be honest, politicians have held citizens hostage

Tuesday December 17 2019
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Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and Opposition leader Raila Odinga react during the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative report in Nairobi on November 27, 2019. PHOTO | TONY KARUMBA | AFP

By NERIMA WAKO-OJIWA

The Building Bridges Initiative collected recommendations from 7,000 Kenyans and compiled them in what is now the BBI report that was released on November 27 to the public for discussion.

The task force was formed to look into nine issues and recommend solutions by collecting perspectives from the public.

The issues were: How to end ethnic division; inclusivity; how to solve polarising elections; safety and security; how to deal with corruption; how to deal with lack of national ethos, responsibility and rights; shared prosperity and enhancing devolution.

The report raises several concerns that affect Kenyans and their leaders.

There was mention of a seven-year tax break to support youth entrepreneurship and job creation. The report also suggested that parastatals carrying out county government functions be either wound up or restructured.

Depending on the county, as a young person it is difficult to find a standardised department that works with the youth. Some counties clump it with information technology, some business, others sports and culture.

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On that aspect, some counties have developed a County Youth Policy, which is not necessarily in line with the National Youth Policy, too many cooks can spoil the broth.

We need to recognise that solutions for problems bedevilling Kenya are not all legal. Indeed, the law is important and the hallmark of any democratic society is the adherence to the rule of law. But we cannot forget that a few weeks ago we witnessed the Chief Justice weep about an underfunded Judiciary.

The issues facing Kenya today are complex and will not be solved by creating a happiness department. For the BBI report to be deliberated on, it needs to be in a language understood by all and distributed to many.

We have the same issue with the constitution, worded in English and available to some. There are options of online accessibility but not all citizens have access to the Internet, to read a soft copy document.

The tradition of lack of implementation is a lingering fear. Political good will is important on the part of the Executive. But many are busy ranting about a prime minister position which is not the silver bullet to fix an entire nation.

There are reports that we can pursue to bring about change—but they were shelved. Is there nothing from the past that we can build on? For example Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission?

Encouraging whistle-blowers is a step in the right direction, but much more will be needed to protect them, much more than five per cent reward, which is useless when one’s life is cut short by a system controlled by the rich and powerful, and unfortunately for us, most are in government.

The fact that the Ndegwa Commission allowed civil servants to do business with government is a contradiction of our constitution—Article 17 restricts state officers from pursuing personal interests in the first place. That is how only the government appears to be doing well during these hard economic times.

Historical injustices have still gone unanswered. Matters such as land were not tackled in any fashion, yet we are aware that land is a major tenacious matter.

Divisive elections occur due to access to resources. If we never have an honest deliberation and actions focused on equity then we are talking about symptoms and not a root cause.

Proper services provided by our government will quickly make us happy, accountable systems that do not plunder our taxpayer monies, would put a smile on our faces.

Not every young person is an entrepreneur, the implication of self-employment by young people is an overplayed tune.

Decent work, gainful and meaningful employment is the conversation starter. The compromises that the country will require to make are such that the focus should be on identifying issues we agree on, suggestions we support and better alternatives.

For far too long, politicians have held the country hostage. Citizens have been relegated to the background of most discourses.

Following several debates, one gets the impression that this trend is set to continue. We should not let this happen.

Nerima Wako-Ojiwa is executive director of Siasa Place. Twitter: @NerimaW

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