IKUNDA: Ruto can't afford failure or waste more time in transforming economy

From his style of politics, manifesto, ideals, political body language, appointments to ideology, they all signal to a completely new style of doing things. 

From his pronouncements so far, there is high possibility the country is taking a new turn from the past. Economically, Kenya is between a rock and hard place. Starting with the challenges of climate change and a seemingly never-ending drought seasons added to the economic morass we are in, the country is facing challenges of immense proportions.

With the hefty promises, an anxiously waiting population for a turnaround of the economy, high unemployment and underemployment rates that are making many bitter, high poverty levels and other ills, there is a lot to be done.

Ruto, his UDA party and the Kenya Kwanza Alliance were able to capture the mood of the country and ran a campaign that resonated very well with the conditions of the day and the feeling of the majority.

The blame on the Uhuru government of the economic conditions and their (Kenya Kwanza coalition) promise to change them was perfect political propaganda that captured the imaginations of many.

Now that they are in office, the hard work begins. It is not easy and it won’t be easy to change the much needed in a short time. It is bound to be tough but things must be done and change is needed. You can’t have economic conditions that make many feel left out or suffering and expect to build a viable nation.

Looking at the political and economic journey since independence, it shows a lot of misses, a lot of wasted opportunities, wasted time and many mistakes over time.

Even with the achievements we have made, there are significant gaps between what we could have done better and what we have as a country.

We are frequently reminded of stories of countries that had similar conditions to Kenya in the 1960s and the huge strides they have made economically such as South Korea and Singapore. We are not at per with them, meaning our economic journey has not been great.

We now have Ruto as the fifth President. During his campaigns, he promised to do his best to make Kenya great economically. He has promised the great economic miracle for the country.

We have seen other countries such as Germany after Second World War, South Korea, Singapore, China and Malaysia emerge as economic giants. There are also states in the Middle East making great strides.

I wish Ruto succeeds.

What I envisage and pray is for Ruto to focus on transforming Kenya to be a country envied across the world. He is a shrewd politician and a great networker and from what I have watched, he is a man who can work very many hours and can keep tabs of what is going on in many places, with some degree of.

He is endowed with good intellectual power and experience in politics and government. So, there is no limitation to hinder him from performing.

He promised to engage the diaspora to enable them develop the country as part of the many solutions he has thought. I would wish he creates thorough legal and structural mechanisms to enable the growth of this group and to enable them invest back home. Many of them have lost a lot of resources by being conned by relatives, friends and rogue channels.

What if bonds or other properly structured financial instruments regulated say by the Capital Markets Authority or the Central Bank are floated targeted at the diaspora to contribute to projects in affordable housing, roads and irrigation?

At the same time, we should have mechanisms that permeate or ease proper labour export aimed at increasing remittances with appropriate structures and legal systems. We need a facilitative and decent way that enables Kenyans to work anywhere in the world as they choose or tapping available opportunities globally.

Indians have been doing so for many years and when you travel around, especially in the US, you can feel their presence in IT)fields.

What of developing structures to make Kenya a medical tourism destination?

Areas especially around Mombasa and Coast region, Nairobi and other cities and towns can be good at this. This will inject impetus in training medical personnel in our country.   

These are just a few of the many thoughts I have but there is more and better ideas the Ruto administration can tap into.

Obviously among the many key things I would wish him to achieve is a fast-growing economy in double digit to provide opportunities for Kenyans and domestic and foreign investments

I wish him all the best in transforming Kenya, a journey that he has started. We cannot afford failure or waste more time.

The writer is a political, economic and social analyst and commentator