This is a summary of what are the hits and misses in Kenya’s and Africa’s democracy and human rights programmes on elections’ monitoring and observation.
Kenya is destined for greatness. The 2010 Constitution is marked by a lot of blood and sweat spilled between1994 to 2010 and history makes a complete statement towards that pride of becoming a major country.
The Constitution was promulgated on August 27, 2010. Since then this day is marked Alamos every year since then. However, this was not the case this year since Kenyans were ‘busy’ involved in electoral processes and outcomes.
This article is written in context.
Kenya is facing not just an international economic crisis emerging from its ever-growing public debt crises or the Covid-19 pandemic, but also from what has been the eventual verdict by Supreme Court on September 5.
The second context is regional as well as international. Many elections will and/or are being held across Africa and across the world. From Angola’s presidential poll that was disputed to Italy post-fascists politics and its electoral problems, to United Kingdom political crises of the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Liz Truss not to mention the demise of the Queen Elizabeth the II to the new Monarch of King Charles the III.
Further still are the Brazilian election scheduled for October, a race between Jair Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva, who are trading blows over who is the most corrupt, among others.
DIPLOMATIC GAFFES AND GOOFS
All these gaffes and goofs are uncalled for. The lecturing a retiring President by the Deputy President in front of other visiting presidents and dignitaries was utter rubbish, and that is why social media is awash with why the same person needs diplomatic grooming.
In connection to the same is the humiliation of the Sahrawi Republic and its denunciation for political (maybe personal) interests without using the official diplomatic line channels of communications.
Of particular concern is the dysfunctionality of Kenya’s electoral management body, the IEBC, which is split down the middle. What happens or should happen is very simple: The whole ‘pack’ should depart leadership of that institution.
Despite the transition in the UK and Kenya, there is a similarity in one nature: That whoever becomes our ‘king’ for the next five years, Kenyans face a massive socio-economic crisis, pinged on the prices of livelihoods’ and household goods.
However, despite the socio-economic rights and democracy tenets this author believes in, Kenya is split completely. That is between the past of corruption and the current deep socio-economic hole and high cost of public goods that are enshrined in Article 43 of the Constitution.
The final contextual analysis is the future advocacy for electoral reforms in Kenya and perhaps Africa and even beyond. This is to make a general tendency towards a new way of perceiving how electoral preparedness and of electoral management bodies perceive their role.
Further to the above, includes the recommendations to CSOs within democracy and human rights, to continuously contribute towards achieving their respective mandate.
We will be beginning ‘from the middle’ as Willy Mutunga, Chief Justice Emeritus once put it in a publication many years ago. For Ruto to succeed, he cannot begin from either the middle or his bottom-up, which now seems his directives are law. No and never at all. We will not allow such directives as his predecessor did throughout the Uhuru-Ruto Administration.
In a nutshell, President Ruto has done several things in the initial days, where some of them are great, such as calling for a discussion about the competency based curriculum, which I thought I understood but do not!
I support the encouraged dialogue, through whatever means, but we have seen numerous task forces throughout Kenya’s history, but without results, with parents who were less involved in its discussions. Teachers are not trained that well. And my last-born son is struggling, despite getting a feeling of what it entails. So, CBC actually fails Article 10 of the Constitution in terms of public participation!
Second, I know pretty well about university education, having spent more than 10 years in the University of Nairobi, where Ruto also went to and spent his many years.
However, one question that I have always asked the Uhuru-Ruto administration, since my children are seriously suffering after joining universities and colleges andI have no idea what happened to HELB. Where is the money?
Third, the former President, Uhuru Kenyatta, never gave us serious reasons why the seven judges were not appointed. It was unconstitutional and Ruto called it so. Congratulations for being bold!
Uhuru perhaps thought that the appointing judges is the prerogative of the President but not anymore but that of the JSC working with Parliament. I hope you keep up with the pace. We shall be watching.
DIRECT POLICY BLUNDERS
First, within a week, Ruto thinks Kenya is a kingdom where he makes unilateral decisions based either on his own feelings or emotions. At the international level, Ruto is courting regional and geo-political ‘fires.’
Does he have an idea of where the ‘war’ between Morocco and Algeria versus the Saharawi Republic and the former OAU emerged? Maybe he needs more time to settle in.
He is accepting to be embroiled in the Morocco and Saharawi Republics, which I do recognize as a diplomat but Ruto thinks he can outsmart the geo-politics of the African region, by playing one against the other! He will not win.
As an example, Ruto cannot, in any way possibly, think he could outsmart the ever-existing problems of the Chinese and Taiwan crises of territory. The US has tried and failed. Ruto will not succeed.
Second, are the policy promulgations against a direct Cabinet Policy or an Executive Order on some of the things he is unleashing left, right and centre. This country cannot be run as a kingdom.
To illustrate, issues such as fertilizer prices, and the EPRA prices, which have just been unleashed by the institution, maize prices, or whatever prices he wishes to reduce, cannot be undertaken as he wishes. This is not a ‘banana republic’ where orders and decrees are issued from left, right and centre. Ruto needs to relax!
My final policy advice is that Ruto is trying to emulate what Dr. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere tried to talk about African leaders in the early 1960s: We run while others walk.
Many books have been written about that strategy, which failed. Ruto should just spend time reading and get real and serious advice from scholars and also oracles of this present generation.
CONCLUSION
President Ruto, we have been in a position of strategic and policy advice and direction and I know you know that. But You must listen and learn. Otherwise. Let’s see.
Tom Kagwe, JP is a Political Scientist and a Human Rights Defender. These views are personal and unsolicited.
