Many unsolicited articles and commentaries have been written about the presidential race.
Manifestos were launched by the four candidates on the ballot paper, the so-called presidential debate held on July 26 and Kenya’s priorities enumerated by each of the presidential candidates.
To all, they have cited corruption as a big issue, but commit differently on how to handle the same. To all, they cite the living standards where a kilo of locally-produced maize meal is sold as more expensive than a litre of imported fuel.
The debt burden, both domestic and international, is weighing heavily on all Kenyans. Out of 10 Kshs collected in taxes, 6 Kshs goes into debt repayment. However, to all they still make promises, which they will struggle to fulfill in such a situation. So how do we finance the economy?
KENYAN PRIORITIES
After having done a public policy analysis of all the manifestos, below find the radical approaches of salvaging this country out of its sure death knell.
To begin with, let us cite Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema, who is about one year in office since August 24, 2021.
In one year, Hichilema has transformed Zambia, and records speak for themselves.
In a nutshell, Hichilema has changed the country literally through investing in free education, hiring health workers and teachers, reducing inflation from 25 to nine per cent, guaranteed media freedom and has made the currency, the Kwacha, one of the best performing currency in the world at the moment.
To cap it all, he has not taken a salary since assuming office. This is but a summary of Hichilema’s work.
Back home, what do the four presidential candidates plan to do when they assume office?
There is no time to sit pretty. The following are some of the policy proposals that should be contained in the Executive Order Number 1 of 2022, by the incoming president.
First, the Constitution provides the minimum number of Cabinet secretaries at 14. I would stick to this ‘floor’ rather than go to the ‘ceiling’ of 22.
Of those 14, there should be at least seven women, persons with disability and the youth. The posts of the Cabinet Administrative Secretaries should be scrapped, not just in accordance with the Constitution that does not provide for them, but also as the High Court pronounced itself on the matter: That CASs are illegal ab initio.
Through this masterstroke, Kenya would tame the bill of its highest-paid civil servants.
Second, to further tame on the wage bill, the incoming president should trim all the ministries, particularly those that are undertaking duties that have been devolved in accordance with Fourth Schedule of the Constitution.
For instance, agriculture, water, health, education, and such dockets are just wasting taxpayers’ money. They are supposed to provide only strategic and policy direction to the 47 counties, not get deeply involved in managerial and operational duties at the grassroots.
Trim all personnel, give them a severance package and leave the ministries with only persons who can provide such strategic support to the counties.
Third, the living standard of Kenyans is way below the world average. With consultation of the new Cabinet Secretary for Finance, the incoming President should immediately zero-rate some basic commodities.
Whereas not sustainable in the long-run, the Executive Order Number 1 should make an attempt at reducing the costs of items such as maize and wheat flour, cooking oil, rice, bread, kerosene, and products that are household utilities on a daily basis.
Unlike exempting products from Value-Added Tax, zero-rating the products means Kenyans will not be charged the 16 per cent at the point of sale, since even the manufacturer has not been charged either.
Exemptions are totally different as the manufacturer is charged and left to literally ‘chase’ the government for a VAT refund. The incoming President should not allow this kind of Ping-Pong with manufacturers.
Fourth, the incoming President should decisively deal with the so many Kenyan parastatals, which are run ineffectively and inefficiently, not to mention they are dens of corruption and wastage of taxpayers’ money.
They must be scaled down, merged, some closed as they seem to be duplicating roles and functions of others, if not a retirement home’ for some ministry officials.
The ‘tradition’ of bailing out parastatals should end starting with the next financial year!
In this regard, two parastatals come to mind: Kenya Power and Kenya Airways. Currently, there are plans by the Ministry of Energy to split the roles of Kenya Power between supply of industrial versus household power. The latter will be given to the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation.
The problem of Kenya Power has never been about functions that inundated. It is about corruption from the highest to the lowest levels; up to the meter-reader!
Therefore, albeit a welcome move, splitting functions is only dressing up the wound, so to speak. RUREC will still be plagued by the same inefficiencies as staff remain largely the same.
The incoming President should deal with the Board of Directors by asking each to re-apply for their job and get a private firm to scrutinize the applicants afresh and anyone found unfit is let go. And if they are mentioned anywhere in any scandal, have the Directorate of Criminal Investigation scrutinize the same for onward prosecution.
Kenya Airways is another example. Kenyans fork out billions of shillings each and every financial year to keep the planes in the sky. The incoming President should spare Kenyans once and for all. I have travelled widely. Not every country has wings in their name. Why should Kenyans cough up billions to keep the so-called KQ in the air?
Indeed, the incoming President should ensure that this ‘tradition’ ends beginning with the 2022-23 financial year. The Board of Directors should re-apply for those jobs, followed by inviting a private enterprise (whether national, regional or international) to invest in the airline, and then the math of splitting profit could be calculated by experts. That means even if KQ name disappears since it is no longer the Pride of Africa anyway or anywhere. It is an eye sore to the Kenyan dream of airline prosperity.
Fifth, investing in education is a priority for the incoming President. Kenya is experiencing a tectonic shift or transition from the 8-4-4 system to the new Competency-Based Curriculum. The CBC provides six years at the primary /grade level; two years at the junior high school; three years at the senior high school; and three years at the university level.
Parents, teachers and the actual stakeholders who are the children are all confused. Let the truth be told. The Ministry of Education has to conduct a thorough and deep awareness campaign about the CBC. That should and must happen in the next few months of 2022; before January 2023.
This deadline is chosen because the first students, let us call them ‘guinea pigs’ of this CBC system, will be joining junior high school in January 2023. Thus, the incoming President has to invest in getting a very qualified Cabinet Secretary, who working with parents, teachers and the pupils, as an equal partner is able to translate the CBC system and policy options in a friendly and understanding manner.
Sixth, investing in health is a serious policy choice for the incoming President. Past and current governments have paid a lot of premium on curative rather than preventative options for healthcare.
The right to healthcare that is affordable is guaranteed in Article 43 of the Constitution. Currently, Kenyans and the world are reeling from the effects of Covid-19, which started way back in December 2019.
Whereas Kenya has dealt with the same through increasing vaccination of persons, deaths have still occurred albeit not in the numbers we have seen the world over.
The incoming President should provide a deep and reflective health policy direction, knowing clearly that health is a devolved function to the counties, how to not only step up the vaccination against Covid-19 but also most of the other preventable diseases.
To accomplish this, the incoming President requires a qualified Cabinet Secretary, preferably a medic such as a nurse or a doctor, to run the ministry. Not just at the Cabinet level, but throughout the entire leadership.
Since 2013 to date, the Ministry of Health has had so many scandals in the Uhuru-Ruto Jubilee government, the last known one being the Kenya Medical Supplies’ Agency (Kemsa) procurement scandals. All these scandals must be conclusively investigated by the DCI and people charged.
Already, it is known some civil servants were sacrificed at Kemsa, yet Kenyans still see the co-called Covid billionaires ‘roaming free’ in this country. The incoming President should decisively deal with such impunity.
Seventh, which is part of dealing with preventative health in the sector of agriculture.
From tea farmers, to maize, to coffee, to sugarcane, to khat (miraa) and many others, Kenya should be able to produce enough for each person’s needs, not for some people’s greed! When it comes to the livestock sector, whether they are goats, sheep, camels, cattle, fish, bee keeping, etc. the incoming President should decisively deal with agriculture in a comprehensive manner.
It is oft quoted that agriculture is the backbone of the Kenyan economy, but there is a need to invest heavily in modern and climate-friendly agriculture. The current Cabinet Secretary is recording some gains, which need to be catapulted throughout the sectors mentioned above. It is doable.
To recall, the Uhuru-Ruto government pledged to cultivate a million hectares of land in the Galana-Kulalu irrigation scheme. This became a cropper under the current administration.
Now, Ruto wants to be President. He is disassociating himself from Jubilee's failures but regards the successes as part of him. That is idiotic to say the very least. His nine-year tenure as Deputy President cannot and should not be wished away.
Eighth, the incoming President should and must focus on devolution of power.
As alluded to above, the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution separates the powers of the national versus the county executive. For devolution to work, it is not about how much money is sent and when it is sent from the National Treasury, but what powers the county governments have over their own functions as provided and guaranteed in the Fourth Schedule. It is possible given the will.
Devolution is a priority policy issue. We have seen in the last 10 years what devolution can and should do. Some county governments have scored pretty well, others are not much so courtesy of corruption and other inefficiencies. Counties such as Makueni, Machakos, Kitui, Kakamega, Kisumu, Turkana, and so on are shining beacons of what devolution could do to Kenya’s politico-economic landscape. There are outright failures where the governors decided to chase other dreams not those of devolution under Article 174.
Finally, this policy proposal is drafted with someone in mind to become the fifth President of Kenya. It is someone known to many people who can execute this order very easily and fast. That is why there are only eight issues to deal with: Slim government, devolved government and Article 43 human rights of the Constitution. Simple.
The cost of living will drop when these eight priorities are taken care of by the incoming President. It can be done. We have our date with destiny. God Bless Kenya.
Political scientist and human rights researcher
