It is not every day that you see leaders putting themselves on the firing line as President Uhuru Kenyatta has done over the years since taking office.
President Uhuru has allowed Kenyans to directly question his administration’s performance through various platforms as a way of staying accountable to the people, who finance the running of government through taxes.
Two weeks ago, the President launched a website showcasing the achievements of the Jubilee administration since 2013.
Interestingly, the delivery portal has been dismissed by a few in the opposition as another of Jubilee’s public relations exercises, aimed at hoodwinking Kenyans.
But they are missing the point. Kenyans, for the first time, are in a position to evaluate Jubilee’s performance, and decide whether it deserves a second term.
Every government must be able to give its citizens an opportunity to evaluate its performance by providing access to information as required by the Constitution.
It is, therefore, laudable that President Uhuru has put his government on the firing line by allowing the public to judge his administration by what it has done.
Those criticising the President for launching the portal are just afraid that the voters will have a clear picture of what is happening. They are afraid that the public will not focus on the lies and misrepresentations they have peddled over the years in political rallies.
The opposition leaders dismissing the website are afraid that the public will start questioning what they themselves have done over the years.
And this is because all of them have previously served in government, but it is clear they cannot showcase what they have achieved compared to Jubilee’s scorecard.
The President has, through the launch of the delivery portal, changed the course of the August 8 elections politics. He has moved it from political rhetoric to issue-based politics that will define how Kenyans view their leaders.
This election is about what leaders can do for the electorate and many Kenyans are not interested in too much talk.
It will, therefore, will be decided by Kenyans who have seen development projects that are transforming their lives, whether they voted for the current administration or not.
Kenyans want to know what the President and his government have done to make their lives better and provide an environment that will help them achieve their aspirations. Some, while dismissing the need for a website, have argued that the public should be able to see Jubilee’s projects.
One wonders if the opposition leaders want a Kisumu resident to travel to Mombasa to see what has been done there. Or a Nyeri resident to go to Kajiado to see if indeed it is true that there are roads that have been done or are being done.
In the coming months, Kenyans will be able to interrogate the Jubilee administration’s record through the information provided.
This way, as the President campaigns for a second term, Kenyans will be able to ask him what more he can do if reelected.
On the other hand, we are still waiting for the opposition to tell us not only what they did when they were in government, but also what they can do to outdo both Uhuru and former President Mwai Kibaki.
Too much talk with nothing to show will not give Kenyans better roads, better healthcare, reliable water and electricity supply, better education institution, better markets, sustainable incomes and will not put food on their table.
With Uhuru putting his performance on the line, he is showing through leadership that he is ready to be held to account, and wants Kenyans to focus on issues and not rhetoric, as he has done in the past.