As the leap into another presidential campaign gathers momentum in earnest, this article intends to assess President Uhuru Kenyatta’s performance for the past four years. The President’s tenure will end in nine months.
Barber (1972) said, “When a president appears successful, he becomes an idol; if his efforts fail or if he proves incapable of living up to the president’s image, he is vilified."
Now, we can put across the question: Has the president failed or succeeded so that he is either to be idolised or vilified?
Here are some of the achievements of Uhuru worth subjecting to assessment and further elaborations;
First, the recent survey done by the Global Network of Expatriates International ranked Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, the best/leading city continentally and sixth globally. This assessment was based on indices with respect to ease of settling, housing, quality of urban and work life, hospitality, stability, safety, financial situation and infrastructure.
As the African Swahili proverb goes, ukiona vyaelea jua vimeundwa; meaning: If something glitters, it shows someone’s hard work. In this context credit goes to Uhuru for what GNEI saw glitter in Nairobi. The GNEI positive indices are indicators of Nairobi as a macrocosm and mirror of Kenya, and are an orthographic projection of Uhuru’s outstanding work.
In addition to the above assessment done by GNEI, the March 9, 2018, handshake between Uhuru and Raila Odinga should be seen as having facilitated a fertile ground for such developments. The handshake brought great hope, peace and stability to Kenya, which was in great turmoil and tension.
This kenotic and humble rapprochement between Uhuru and Raila deserves a Nobel prize for the two personalities. Such truce is what we need to commend and reward to deter the incessant wars destroying our neighbouring countries Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi and DRC. These submissions have been awarded 90 per cent.
Second, there was the Building Bridges Initiative, a joint project of Uhuru, the leader of Jubilee and Raila, the leader of ODM that was about constitutional amendments proposal with recommendations meant to deepen inclusivity, unity, transparency, human rights, equity, shared property and accountability, among others.
The Judiciary subverted the will of the people by adducing a questionable illegality. However, for the sake of clarity, the BBI is a casuistic code and high literary activity that have marked and will mark Uhuru’s reign forever. Uhuru and Raila are the Hammurabis and Lipit Ishtar of Kenya by the fact of their written BBI code.
Third, the following have been delivered: Tarmacked roads covering 10,000 km, the standard gauge railway – 592 km, the Sh310 billion Lamu port, revived Kisumu port, the Sh1.9 billion Likoni floating bridge, nationwide electricity connection, enhanced tea and coffee production, 5.1 million title deeds, 25 hospitals built in Nairobi city slums and disbursement of Sh25 billion Women Enterprise Fund. These completed programmes have attracted an award of outstanding performance of 90 per cent.
Fourth, the 47 devolved counties have received Sh3.59 trillion since 2013. In addition, there are other achievements namely, continental leadership in education through 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school, fostered good foreign relations, and promotion of decent housing, tourism and securing Kenya’s legacy as a sporting nation. These areas are awarded outstanding performance of 90 per cent.
Fifth is corruption in many sectors that has become the Achilles heel in our system. Corruption has created employment deficit for our educated unemployed. Several persons implicated in corruption should not hold any responsibility.
People suggest that individuals with corrupt records should face the death sentence as it happens in China. The President needs to give red cards to those who slow judicial prosecution processes. Demonetisation failed to weed out corruption. There is need to strengthen systems of accountability and pursue zero tolerance to corruption.
For want of strict mitigation measures to weed out corruption, I score an average of 50 per cent as much still needs to be done.
Uhuru’s impressive performance correlates significantly with the achievements during Gupta’s golden age when important developments were realised in the political history of India. The graduate from prestigious Amherst University in Boston is authoritative, tolerant, empathic, a straight talker, politically astute, intelligent and persuasive.
He can articulate compelling vision without mincing words as I have observed in his statecraft.
Some people who abuse the President would have had their bodies dropped in the Tsavo national park, Got Alila or Ngong Forest if he had no high social, emotional and spiritual intelligence.
Meanwhile, Uhuru and his handshake counterpart seem to read from the same script under the umbrella of Azimio la Umoja. Some people say they must have been exposed to Kautilya Arthashastra's State and Statecraft, Machiavelli's The Prince, Katz’ Skills of an effective leader and Aquinas's Summa Theologiae.
Ambedkar once said, "When deciding the destinies of nations, dignities of people, dignities of leaders and dignities of parties ought to count for nothing. The destiny of the country should count for everything."
This assertion provides what the parting President has maintained over the years. The nation has not broken into fragments.
The president’s average score is 85 per cent, which is an outstanding performance. God bless Uhuru.
Prof Awino is a university lecturer
