Talk of a constitutional moment amid global pandemic is absurd
President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga with parliamentarians from both the Senate and the National Assembly in a joint press statement at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha on November2, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Responsive governments are bolstering their country’s competitive edge in the global marketplace.
- Political leaders in several neighbouring countries — like Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi — once pushed them into self-destruction.
Since the 2002 civil society-inspired toppling of Kanu, Kenyans have watched as successive governments weaken their national ethos, systems, processes and institutions. Systemic weaknesses across all levels of government is evidence the country is headed in the wrong direction.
The rise of a corrupt, self-seeking, narrow-minded transactional leadership that is indifferent, excessively tribal in its dealings and manifests lack of political goodwill has set the country in reverse gear.
There are always steep opportunity costs for excessive borrowing, politicisation of the anti-corruption war, tribal and regional biases in state appointments and resource allocation, undermining state institutions, repeated electoral malpractice, erosion of personal freedoms and liberties and continued marginalisation of the working class. Political leaders in several neighbouring countries — like Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi — once pushed them into self-destruction.
Responsive governments are bolstering their country’s competitive edge in the global marketplace. They are re-engineering public systems and institutions by making them open, transparent, inclusive, accountable and effective.
They are eliminating cronyism, promoting, instead, merit-based recruitment and restructuring of the workplace favourable to a leaner, productive and effective manpower. Or formulating policies to consolidate socioeconomic welfare of their people.
Sustainable solutions
Well-meaning development partners including bilateral and multilateral institutions, international philanthropies, policy and research organisations are lending a hand through technical and financial assistance. UNDP, the World Bank, IMF and other international organisations are important allies of the Kenyan people and have considerable muscle to facilitate sustainable solutions to our development handicaps.
Since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York in 2015, several important policy forums are supporting countries to achieve their development aspirations. For instance, the Infrastructure Forum helps member states to identify opportunities for investment and cooperation and implement environmentally, socially and economically sustainable infrastructure.
In the Development Cooperation Forum, actors engage in robust, evidence-based discussions to formulate policies that advance quality, impact and effectiveness of development assistance, including finance and technical co-operation.
From its Geneva headquarters, Unctad enhances trade between countries by eliminating tariffs and other barriers. It undertakes trade facilitation, creates regimes for foreign direct investment (FDI) and helps countries to expand their productive capacity and value addition.
Sound and practical assistance exists, yet Kenya has evidently not sought it. Our interaction with development partners is neither strategic nor optimal. As Dr Mukhisa Kituyi’s tenure at Unctad winds down, how have we leveraged his office to advance our trade interests globally?
Nairobi even hosted Unctad’s 14th session in 2016. Rwanda’s rise as one of the fastest-growing and -modernising nations is attributed to its strong and genuine partnership with the global community.
President Mwai Kibaki is lauded for transforming infrastructure yet questions are being raised as to why he prioritized the Isiolo airport and the Lamu port – both seen as potential white elephants. But it is President Uhuru Kenyatta who has, perhaps, done the most damage to the economy and institutions. Nearly all his flagship projects have collapsed or are bound to fail.
Relying on its “exceptional wisdom”, the country’s leadership has mastered the art of pushing a false narrative. Amidst a global pandemic, the President has said the country is at a “constitutional moment” and, together with his “Handshake” co-principal, Opposition leader Raila Odinga, are committed to achieving the changes to the Constitution.
This is an absurdity. Mr President, fight the pandemic; everything else can wait.
