While it may not have been widely expected that the President will hit the road running once he was sworn in, it became apparent in his maiden speech that Ruto had not only come to take the oath of office but also to start working.
The pronouncement and signing of the Executive Order appointing four Court of Appeal judges and another two High Court judges who had been left out by the now retired President Uhuru Kenyatta was a potent signal of Ruto’s commitment to fulfilling some of the campaign promises he made regarding the independence of the Judiciary.
In one of the interviews by Joe Ageyo on Citizen TV, Ruto had hinted at the possibility of appointing the six judges once he was sworn into office. This is laudable and encouraging to the Judiciary to discharge its mandate.
A spot check across the registries of our courts would reveal a high number of cases that have dragged on account of fewer numbers of judicial officers. We look forward to seeing more appointments within the Judiciary and increased budgetary allocations.
Kenya is largely an agricultural dependent nation. The Kenyan farmer was hit with exorbitant prices of farm inputs with the price of one bag of fertiliser retailing at close to Sh7,000. The directive to lower the price of a 50kg of fertilizer to Sh3,500 is sweet music to farmers.
Kenyans look forward to actualising this directive. It has been a sad year for the Kenyan farmer. The Ministry of Agriculture failed to extend meaningful support to farmers in good time.
It should be remembered that Ruto at one given time served as the Minister for Agriculture and he is credited with efforts to lower farm inputs starting from quality seeds, to controlling pests and diseases to access to fertiliser at an affordable price.
Will the President score where his predecessor failed?
The answer to this question lies in time, in the fullness of time reality will hit home when we begin subjecting promises to achievements.
The directive on the competence-based curriculum has attracted immense debate by a majority of members of the public and in particular parents and teachers. There are possibilities that the outcome of a task force that will review the place of CBC in Kenya might favour its abolition of or reform its implementation.
There have been considerable investments towards the new curriculum that was rolled out under the watch of Uhuru and Ruto, who was the Deputy President by then. It is a considered view that the outcome of the task force to look into the education of children be expedited.
The parents whose children are enrolled under the new curriculum have complained of an expensive and unequal system of education that is CBC. The President should move with speed to give the final direction on the future of the Kenyan child.
The creation of the Hustler Fund has been a constant mantra by the President. It is the hope of a majority of the small and medium-scale enterprises to benefit from the Hustler Fund. Access to financial support has been one of the biggest bottlenecks for most business ventures.
Players in the financial industry should play an advisory contribution on how well the fund should be rolled out. Kenyans should be enlightened to know that there is no free money and that all government should and must be accounted for.
The best way around it might boil down to having a revolving fund for the business enterprises to avert crises witnessed under the Uwezo Fund and the Youth Development Fund. There is a need for proper legislation and policy framework to organise how this popular fund will be implemented in a manner that fuels public confidence.
I will defer the debate around NHIF reforms, which some of us largely agree with the President. The biggest winners in the presidential directives on day one are the people of Mombasa. The fact that imported goods will have to be cleared at the port of Mombasa breaths life in the coastal region.
However, there is a need to discuss the SGR as an economic flagship project under the UhuRuto government. We hope that the capital-intensive projects that cobbled public money will be put to good use to spur economic growth and realise the long-term benefits envisioned at the formative stages of such projects and their completion.
Finally, the debate around forging a unified and cordial relationship with devolved units is a great move. The next phase of devolution should be robust in its deliverables. Functions designed to be under the county governments should be fully transferred to the devolved units with the attendant resources needed to execute the same.
We expect fewer tussles between the Senate and National Assembly in the approval for disbursement of funds meant for the devolved units. It should go record that speakers of the two houses are experienced leaders who have served as MPs and as governor and senator in the case of Moses Wetang’ula and Kingi respectively.
It is our sincere hope that the duo will guide the two houses to discharge their mandates with distinction by putting the interests of Kenyans at the centre of house businesses.
Nakhurenya Eric is a lawyer and public policy consultant
