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Kenya has become better and is going to get even better

Written by Brian Mogaka

Tuesday, 27 February 2007

The statement above is not my own. It is the cheery assessment from the office of the Kenya Government's propaganda chief.

The government is out there stating that the condition of Kenyans has improved, trumpeting its achievements for everyone to see. Unfortunately for Dr. Mutua, this is also the same week that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has decided to release it’s report on Kenyan poverty.

The Kenyan government believes that they have made the country a better place for all Kenyans, but the UNDP's hallowed opinion differs. It holds the view that the common mwananchi's life has actually got worse as he is more afflicted by poverty now than he was before. The sunny opinion that the Kenya government are gives on the Office of Communication website may be intentionally inflated or not; but the reality on the ground is that people are slipping ever more into desperation and adjunct poverty levels increasing.

This is typical in African nations where the government does not provide the real and bankable facts and information, always twisting facts at the whim of the ruling elite. The media in Kenya which is constantly being lambasted on this site, can be given some credit for pointing out the truth, or perhaps it is the Kibaki government that is owed for extending press freedom to the extent that the government has to have its own propaganda office. The reality of the last statement is that in the internet age, the government would have little or no control of what is out here, what people are willing to say in the comfort of their homes in front of the computer screens. The Kenyan government has already attempted to control the media sullying its intended image as a respecter and guarantor of press freedoms, remember the KASS FM affair? This station was shut down because of anti-government sentiments it aired, though the propaganda CEO did his best to spin the closure as a security issue.

Back to the subject of our alleged progress. The governmet propaganda can be summarized as the following, the whole is available here.

The road network is undergoing extensive repairs and expansion
The national Youth Fund is in full operation making available business start-up funds to young Kenyans.
Community policing and more aggressive crime-fighting are a reality.
The agricultural sector, including at the smallholder level has been revived and real poverty in the rural areas has as a result been cut back.
Children have brighter better hopes for the future regardless their social and economic backgrounds.
The electrification programme is bringing lights and much needed services to all villages, schools, dispensaries, markets, etc.

Given the fact that it is clear that the government has failed or fallen short of the promises they made to the wananchi, the triumphs raised above should not be used in anyway to gauge the progress the government alleges but rather as a guide to whether or not the mwananchi is benefitting from the described progress.

We will begin with an inspection of the boast about roads. The government is pushing the idea that road construction is an unmitigated good, but the reality is that these roads are still being constructed using donor funds that cause an extraordinary burden to the Kenyan tax payer. The government must aim at using already available tax revenues to finance infrastructure development.

Second is the operation of the Youth Fund. Sadly this is being used as a political tool to lure the youth (who make up currently the biggest part of the Kenyan population) into supporting the party in power. The youth fund is a non-structured initiative that is non-practical and still pumps money into the private sector. True, the youth can potentially access the funds, but are there conducive environments being created by the government to enable the youth to be able to make something out of the money that is being provided?

Third, the notion that community policing is a reality and that we are taking the fightto the gangsters. Insecurity in Kenya does not involve the communityin the way the government makes out. It is foolish to expect Matheri’s wife to inform on him while he is the sole bread winner in the house. The fighting of crime should involve the removal of firearms from the streets ,the inculcation of discipline into the police force, better remuneration for the police and poverty eradication on a national scale.

The government's fantasy about decreasing poverty levels in rural Kenya as a result of agricultural sector reforms is a nonsense that has been sufficiently contradicted by the UNDP study. No further comment.

Now to the rosy view that children are being given hope for life despite their economic backgrounds. I like the wording of this statement, talking about hope; the hallmark of good propaganda. The free primary education offered by the government is noble to say the least. It is a success as parents now do not have to bear the burden of educating their children at least not for the first years in school. What we must question however, is the quality of education and the prevailing conditions in our public schools. The government has not improved the infrastructure to accommodate the increased numbers. Dr. Alfred N. Mutua, should stop patting himself in the back and instead enthuse the Ministry of Education to provide good quality education to wananchi. They must aim at getting the number of schools increased, the teachers given incentives and books and materials availed to the students.

The last point about electrification I found hilarious. It still costs upwards of Ksh 75,000 to get electricity to a house in a rural area. How many rural folk have that kind of money to spend to get electricity to their homes? There are other proven ways of getting electricity into rural homes, i.e. solar but we have not heard of any government incentive that is in place to allow for such rural electrification.See the invention in Morocco that the government could ape and by the way KPLC’s rural electrification progamme was their during the President Moi years, so nothing new to boast about here.

The Kibaki government has made a difference. Do I give credit to the administration, nope, I think it is generally a change in the Kenyan pysche that has resulted in change. Politicians are like children you really never tell them that you are proud of them although you really are. I guess that does declare where I truly stand… life is full of contradictions.

Brian Mogaka
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written by aeichener , February 28, 2007

A very good article. Substantial, precise criticism instead of sweeping statements (of which many of us have been guilty at times, including myself) and instead of gratuituous insults.

It may be interesting to compare the present "glory list" of Daktari Mutua with the very, hhm, very ambitious following list of projects that the GoK itself presented last year. Please click and compare for yourself:

http://www.propertykenya.com/n...r-services

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written by emmo opoti , March 01, 2007

There is no way of expressing adequately how such small changes as highlighted in the link of Aeichener's here, will have a large impact on the state of the nation. Not just directly as regards service delivery, but also the knock-on effects on the national psychology.

However, like Mogaka highlights above, it is not the list of achievements that we should be staring at, but rather whether or not these have been successful.

Mogaka points out for example that the Rural Electrification programme was initiated by the Moi government. Without engaging in what we term 'hating' in Kenyan argot, may I say that there has been very little imagination on the part of Kibaki's government. From programmes for economic change, to the vision for growth, everything seems to be either an implementation or a continuation of Moi's ideas.

A real pity!

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written by Amir Ibrahim , March 01, 2007

Agreed emmo. Moi's government also talked about free primary education, even when the reality was that most families spent a large amount of money ( as they still do) on essential textbooks, food, development fees, electricity, cleaning and other such costs, etc.

It is obvious that any government wants to bring unemployment down. Far more useful would be a detailed plan or series of actions showing exactly what it is that the government is doing to combat crime.

I am not a fan of Minister Michuki's but his work at the Transport Ministry was exemplary. Short term, easily attainable and concrete plans, with targets against which he could be held accountable. Quite obviously combatting crime in Kenya is not the work of the dull-minded ( why are all our police C or D students?)

On poverty erdaication, I do not think even the President in his dreams believes this very aggressive lie against the good people of Kenya, although the polls here at kenyaimagine certainly give the picture that many Kenyans have bought that porkie.

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spot-on Kamale
written by pndiangui , March 01, 2007

Kamale I agree with you on several issues but Emmo's comment that kibaki's government has been less imaginatiive holds alot of water.
In terms of optimizing the past regimes processes , I give them a C+..
But in terms of being brave to institute radicle changes that can cause a rapid economic growth, they score a poor D. An E were it for the vision 2030 which I still think needs more radicle thoughts.

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Marking scheme?
written by Kamale , March 01, 2007

Having been responsible for civil service examinations in another life, before we released the results, I would seat with the examiners and moderate the results. This helped ensure that the final results on all papers reflected a certain balance where not every passed or failed. But we had certain benchmarks as these examinations were promotional examinations to ensure that we do not cheapen the promotions by passing everyone or starve a certain cadre by not promoting enough people.

It should not be any different for Kibaki. When we score a C or an E against him, what are the benchmarks we use to arrive at this? For instance what would he have had to do to get an A or a B?

Do we have a basis of grading his performance?

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written by aeichener , March 01, 2007

Just look at Joyce Nyamweya, PS in the Office of the President. Since 2004, she has produced an enormous lot of paper, being a died-in-the-wool international bureaucrat, who has spent most of her professional life in highly-stocked UN offices, and hardly ever on the ground, so plans and paper were her life.

But what has she achieved on the ground? What tangible improvements have all her performance contracts, plans, spreadsheets and charters made in the daily working life of ministerial bureaucracies and their customers, the wananchi?

It is a rhetoric question, I am afraid...

Alexander

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What have you done?
written by MainaT , March 01, 2007

Kamale, u are right. There are many things that have changed for the better since 2002-only those who don't want to admit that won't and never will. For example saying that only implementation has taken-that is the precise pt, Kibaki is a conservative so expecting revoluntary ideas fom him is and there weren't any in his manifesto was probably wishful thinking.
Lakini, to me the govt is neither my creator nor my source of daily bread. Its up to me to provide for myself and mine. We should be asking ourselves, what we have done since 2002? Have you helped somebody start/grow a business, finish school/uni?

Or have you just become better whiners?

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written by a guest , March 01, 2007

Admin, it is dyed-in-the wool.

Thought you might want to get it straight.

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Nothing has cahnged for the be
written by Honey , March 01, 2007

I think the right way to put it is this way: The situation has moved from rock bottom to the baseline.
Moi had sunk the ship, Kibaki has attempted to bring it afloat, but it is not sailing yet.
That is not improvement.
In his day as a young man, Kibaki & his govt had better days, nothing like what they are serving Kenyans.

If they can get to that and make it better, now that is improvement.

One cannot steal another's item, denying them use, then after being forced to return it, claims that he/she has improved the victim's life.

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Yes...operationizing grandiose
written by pndiangui , March 02, 2007

Kamale , Aichener starts with a basic and specific Benchmark; The performance contracts cresedo. One day kyfaki is catigating his ministers for non-performance the following day he is presenting them with awards in a National day. I mean what else do we call paper-based rhetoric? Pay alot of consulting fee to desing some performance contracts agreements , then only fail to act on them when needed to;
It is a classical 'talking himself out of a behaviour he well knows he behaves himself into.'
Not very any diffrrent from baba Moi's dream teams or are they?

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You have no idea!
written by Kamale , March 02, 2007

I think you need to appreciate the rot that was in our public service. There has been remarkable improvement in services and at times I refer people to one of the worst performing departments to get a glimpse of the changes that have taken place.

The immigration department whom I have had to deal with very many times is one that has had a transformation. When I applied for my first passport in 1983, it took six weeks and this was only possible because the effort to get it included the intervention of several senior personalities in government to get. When my passport was stolen in Lagos in 1999, it took another 8 weeks to finally get it, where for a week I camped outside an official's office explaining how the lack of a passport meant that I am unable to work! A few months ago when my passport got filled up and I urgently needed a new one, it took only 4 days to get the new document even without the intervention of anyone. All I did was intimate that I needed to travel urgently and was asked to come back after 4 days!

These changes are as a result of a performance appraisal effort undertaken by the department in 2004 on how to improve service delivery and is one of the benchmarks of the ministry's performance contract. So whilst we want to suggest that Joyce has not shown anything apart from paper pushing, if you think about this initiative of performance contracting, there are many positives.

By the way when did you last hear government ministries and departments crafting out strategic plans?

As for Honey who actually can see the kenyan ship refloated from the deep and just because she is not sailing yet concludes that this is not improvement, then we surely have different benchmarks for judging change!!

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Can you proove what you write
written by kendirangu , March 02, 2007

Kenyans in the Diaspora are sickening. Do you honestly ever expect to pick up a paper and read that all is well and nobody is dying or in conflict with another? If you think the police haven't made progress in insecurity, you just need to ask late night commuters in Nairobi on the reduction in carjackings and muggings in the estates.
Like I pointed out in a comment here: turns out to be controversial. If it improves anything in Nyanza, it is because they want the Luo vote. If they improve anything for the youth, it is insert Whatever blackmail theory you have here. Now the teachers got a payrise, we ought not to see that as progress. No it's because they want votes in an election year...
This scepticism makes it impossible to ever see anything positive and to laud all the negative. Worse still it comes mainly from non participants, people sitting in the sidelines watching others work.

Before we criticise/appreciate the UNDP report, lets look at it practically. First, It focused on security and it's impact on development in the country. The main theme of the report was that that without guaranteed safety from threats to life and property, Kenyans cant undertake "life-enriching activities" that will enable them to overcome hunger and poverty. Brian here doesn't acknowledge that. Let us also note that it lauded the Kenyan government for creating vital systems to enhance wealth creation opportunities. It notes a marginal increase in the HDI from 0.52 in 2004 to 0.532 in 2005. The problem was with some areas moving backwards when some were moving forward.
It has noted the areas that have experienced growth have had a high level of security and those such as North Easter province, had encountered persistent human insecurity in the form of conflict and natural disasters.

The report states that: “There is evidence that ten districts including Mandera, Turkana and Samburu have aggravated forms of human insecurity in several areas. The districts also suffer very low per capita GDP in terms of purchasing power parity compared to the Kenyans average.”
The arid areas are marginalised but the ministries of education, gender, livestock and water have really made alot of progress in those areas and that report does acknowledge this efforts but all this can be undermined by insecurity in the area.
The issue of insecurity in the report has emphasised on the problems the infighting of communities in the Rift Valley and livestock rustling in Northern Kenya. There is an ASAL bill pending in parliament that will attempt to guarantee security in this areas. The report has given alot of credit to the govt specifically for the drop in HIV prevalence and addressing gender based insecurity and rape.
To say that the govt isn't working and to blast everyone without pin pointing problems sounds lazy and inconsiderate.

Lets acknowledge what initiatives the govt has made in the forms of the the Police Act and police reforms, the safer cities Programme, the HIV and Malaria campaighns, the TB control programs and understand that the results of this may take time to be seen.
To blame the govt for kids dying of Malaria in Western province is bordering on naivity. If you have visited a clinic or hospital in this area you would know why. Not only are they treated free, mothers get trained practically and are given free nets. Beyond this point u have to admit that govt isn't god and to expect the supernatural is foolish.

Finally I think we all ought to be practical. We wont become a developed country soon and unless we discover oil or an equally precious natural resource, many Kenyans will still be in that poverty trap for a long time.

Without losing my temper I can only dismiss the author as one who cites problems he cant verify.

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written by Marangu , March 02, 2007

Bw Ndirangu:
No use losing your temper sir, and this forum has both informed and misinformed participants, not necessarily from the diaspora. The Govt achievents you point out are both commendable and necessary, and thats the direction we needed to take about 5 years ago (from 2002). I have always insisted that Kenya changed forever in 2002, we may not become a developed country by 2030, but we can all have a better day in Kenya tomorrow, with improved personal and food security, a guarantee of basic health and relief from incessant police and public officer' harassment as they try to get 'kitu kidogo'.
So, the teachers got a pay increase.... that has been a long wait, pity that happened after we got more districts. And this is not politics? Samahani!

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written by emmo opoti , March 02, 2007

Kamale,
I have similarly rosy stories to tell on the Moi days. I started a business when I was 17, did not have to pay any bribes and got four phone-lines into the shop in a week flat. The delays were caused by the building owners, not by Telkom.

I also managed to get my passport- a brand new one- in three days, and I did not even have an ID at all. Different people have different experiences and it pays sometimes to look at the larger picture.

Ndirangu,
My point as always has been that Kenyans made too big a devil out of Moi so much so that if Kibaki sneezes we make a good omen out of it. I have even heard Kenyans giving Kibaki creit for online forums like this one, or for Nation TV, Citizen, etc, yet Reddykyulass made their name ridiculing Moi on TV every week!

The District Focus for Rural Development was running under Moi, and some people doubtless would have had stories as happy as yours to report in that time. In Kisumu, there was great progress as far as security, the road networks and HIV work were concerned. I would not have given credit to Moi, and I will not now give it to Kibaki.

On crime and insecurity, I do not know why it is but most Kenyans certainly view the country, and especially nairobi as being more caught up in violent crime than ever before. Do not take just one facet of this and use it to deride the perceptions of the great numbers, Moi also had his little victories over bank robberies, or car-jackings but the whole picture stayed ugly which is why we did not give him full credit.

It is not just the UNDP report, even the government itself has released reports indicating that poverty is actually on the up, the fact that some urchin made a killing on the NSE notwithstanding.

Ngilu herself has conceded that the government has not done enough with regard to healthcare, especially in the poorest parts of the country.

Someone is asking why it is we do not give credit for the little changes, why do we expect radical progress. It is because Kenya is on her knees. We are one of the poorest , most dangerous, most desperate places to live on earth; and for a government to continue along the same path like we are a Western European nation that just needs to tweak its model a little is criminal negligence.

Obviously criticising the government for the sake of it is not useful, but ostrich tactics aren't either. Mogaka's seems a pretty reasonable piece to me.

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written by Stephen Wanyama , March 02, 2007

Like George Bush, Moi is blamed for everything under the sun, even things their predecessors and successors indulge in, even things they could do nothing to prevent.

Are things better in Kenya now, undoubtedly better than the worst Moi times, but then again nowhere near the best Moi times. A large part of this is beyond Kibaki's immediate control, for example the unfair trade regime around the world, or our over-dependence on extractive industry, but there is a lot that could be done and that Kibaki is not doing to change the future.

We have still not reformed the sugar industry. Periodic bail-outs are all well and good, but unsustainable. We are seeing a massive emigration of horticulture companies to Ethiopia, water resources are drying up and we are still napping. We can see peak oil coming, and the horrendous ramifications that that will have on our economy, still we nap and wait.

We have refused to kick-start land reform and are waiting for a violent tumult before we can even consider it it. Educating people in their millions, opening their eyes and then denying them the light, a dissatisfied middle class is the only ingredient necessary for a revolution.

Kibaki was Vice-President and a high participant in the repressive days of the 1980's, he was Health Minister when we started frocing people to pay for their medicine ( cost-sharing), but we want to pretend it is all Moi's fault.

I am very wary of talking about things like security from a personal point of view. I lived in Kikuyu in the late 1990s there was a crime wave in the area. I read about it only in the newspapers, I did not even once here about an incident. This is not to say that they were not there, or that Kikuyu, Kabete region was not extremely dangerous. It only says that I did not experience this danger.

I have never experienced a crime in Nairobi- not even a pick-pocketing and I have walked those streets late at night, some people step into Nairobi and are mugged minutes later. Perception is everything, those people saying there is a crime wave in Nairobi are not making it up.

P.S Look at World Bank numbers,or figures from the Heritage Institute, Moi had good years.

Secondly, the whole world economy is growing at a fast rate, our neighbour's growth far outstrips ours, let us be more analytical and less defensive.

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The radicle changes missed
written by pndiangui , March 03, 2007

Kamale and Ndirangu
Lets be aware of our defination of 'change'. For example in Moi's time a Harambee to build a school in an area was itself a scheme to bring in 'changes'. Where the money for the Harambee came from and the motive of performing it , lets not even get there...
The point is , we can see those cosmetic 'changes' but we can see little preparatory work not even executioning of strategies that have been seriously thought-out by the bureucrats and the cabinet to drive Kenya into a RAPID economic growth. I surely hail the work of some beuracrats who are doing the little preparatory work necessarry to rid-off the poverty bug and I will outline a few examples but I cant see cabinet DECISIONS worth big praise in the committment to those radicle thoughts and their execution with URGENCY!
1. I hail Bitange Ndemo, the PS for Information for his understanding of what BPO and call-centres might mean to current jobless graduates and its multiplier effect in various towns across the country both in the short-term and the long-haul, going to the lengths of crafting his own path of laying a fibre-optic pipe when he saw the ESSAY project hit by delays. He synegized the idea of the liquidity witnessed at the KENGEN IPO issue and the possibilities of an NSE-financed fibre optic that would drastically lower telco cost and instantly take away the BPO industry infrastructure nightmares away. Now these are the sorts of things Emmo and I are referring to as changes we would want to see HAPPENNING. Not mere cosmetic changes that are basic and which are obvious of what this government was put in office to do.

To show the slumbering ministers like Kimunya who has been harping to us the potential of asset-backed financing legistration to pave way for NSE listed infrastructure bonds that would raise money from the public (including kenyans in diaspora) to speed up the repair and new development of the Roads infrastracture still being a pipe-dream leaves alot to be desired for a government worth our praise.
The continued use of 'massive fuel gazzlers' by the cabinet and other burecrats not with-standing , bearing in mind his 'preparatory work' of eliminating this cost last year has undergone another 'grandiose strategic plan' procrastination.
Such things and others in Energy and Agricultural manufacturing industries are what makes as see kibaki's regime as just that...a stream-liner of processes that have existed for decades even though not to an optimal level. Nothing radicle worth of noting and nothing can surely transform the country by 2030 by continuing with these same mindsets or shall we call them Paradigms?

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written by kendirangu , March 03, 2007

First, my issue is not with 'Kibaki' or with 'Moi'. My issue is with your mentality that government should be solving this problems and specifically your expectations of government. regardless of which govt we are talking about.

I know I'm right when I say that things have improved security wise in Nairobi. If you can get your hands on the statistics to proove otherwise I would be willing to see them and concede. For starters count the bank roberies in the past 2 years in that city compare to the frequency in the previous 2 years in the same city. Pick another crime and do the same. Note the police mandate doesn't change much with the regime, but there have been massive payoffs to the shoot to kill order by Major Ali, increased patrols and crime response plus public participation. You only feel this changes if you have been a victim more than once, but story swapping will continue. (see the first paragraph of my earlier post.)

The UNDP report doesn't say poverty is in a decline. It states that the growth was uneven. which is not suprising.
Secondly, the economists definition of security is not just violent crime rather it is economic, food, health, environment, personal, community and political security and the problems vary from region to region. Unfortunately the debate that resulted ignored the report completely and is based on personal views.

Emmo, Mogaka's piece is unreasonable for the following:

It is an attempt to prove that the government potrays a false image and he refers us to a UN report to prove this.

1. It claims the following: The Kenyan government believes that they have made the country a better place for all Kenyans, but the UNDP's hallowed opinion differs. It holds the view that the common mwananchi's life has actually got worse as he is more afflicted by poverty now than he was before. Clearly if he read the report (I wish he could quote verbatim) it doesnt say that. It states that the growth was uneven which is not suprising. Areas with higher security experienced growth areas with insecurity declined.

2. He cites a list of things the Govt claim to be doing then dismisses them either as propaganda or for incorrigible issues. Yet we all know that the govt is actually working on them. This form of skeptisism is bordering on twisting the truth. The govt claims to be building roads. are they doing it or not ? if they are not, then Mutua is lying. If they are then he is telling the truth and he has a right to give himself credit. Politicians are motivated by such things anyway to expect otherwise is illogical.

3. What is worse is how he dismisses the youth fund and better still some comments here that the govt isn't innovative/imaginative. Since when was innovation on the govt's radar ? and does it take priority over service delivery ?. The issue of continuing with Moi's projects is because they were noble but poorly implemented. It would be wasteful to dismiss projects like KMC and start building a new meat factory. Or to dismiss progress made in Malaria and HIV prevention to start a fresh. This is a baseless argument as what the citizens want is service delivery regardless of the regime. The question we ought to ask is: are they delivering the services better than the previous regime or not ? if they are not then they are lying otherwise, let Mutua dance and proove him wrong on election day.

4. He states The government's fantasy about decreasing poverty levels in rural Kenya as a result of agricultural sector reforms is a nonsense that has been sufficiently contradicted by the UNDP study. No further comment. Clear evidence he hasn't read the read the report. The report actually lauds the reforms by the govt (see my earlier post) It notes that food insecurity has affected pastoralist communities due to drought and cattle rustling and the report highlighs the importance of the ASAL bill which is pending in parliament.

5. Though it has nothing to do with the report, He blasts the progress in education thus: What we must question however, is the quality of education and the prevailing conditions in our public schools. The government has not improved the infrastructure to accommodate the increased numbers. Dr. Alfred N. Mutua, should stop patting himself in the back and instead enthuse the Ministry of Education to provide good quality education to wananchi. They must aim at getting the number of schools increased, the teachers given incentives and books and materials availed to the students. Claiming that schools dont get books or materials is not an instigation it is a lie. A visit to a primary school would clear this misunderstanding. I suggest u pick a sample of more than 5 schools to hammer the point.

6. Kamale cleared the issue of electrification for him, whats even hilarious is he blasts KPLC without taking a look at the company's performance in the last 2 years. And I dont mean financially but in terms of connected homes.

This is where we part ways with most readers. A journalist is only considered worth reading if he has a touch of controversy but stretching the truth is irritating. I wish he focused on the areas where the govt is actually underperforming (which the UN report actually did.)

I'm not hailing the regime blindly but pointing out the flaws in this article. something most comments here did not address anyway.

Ndiangui, please define what you mean by 'Rapid economic growth' and be practical about it, no country can claim rapid economic growth and credit it to politicians so you need to review your expectations.

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Enabling environment through b
written by pndiangui , March 04, 2007

Ndirangu
I touch two differring examples that could result in Rapid economic growth. One that shows a pro-active burecrat Mr Ndemo and the other one that shows a procrastinating politician Mr. Kimunya.
Now look I hail kybaki's regime for the minimal continous improvement of the past regimes' processes (i.e service delivery) but what am saying is; that was just one of the reasons that this government was brought to power. It was meant to not only do that , but also input new , fresh ideas that would create an enabling environment for rapid economic development. The kind of Bills that I have seen comig from the government side have not been well-thought out and geared towards this. A classic example is the information bill which is still at the drafting level, the asset-backed infrastructure bonds which I am not sure whether Kimunya has even put its drafting into works etc etc.
I however hail the Energy Bill 2006 which I have actually written about here. When we say Radicle and imaginative stuff , that might be an example that would be worth looking at.

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written by emmo opoti , March 05, 2007

Ken,
I see you have noted above that we shoudl stop expecting that the government deliver everything to us. Good point, I believe in people working hard to fend for themselves. However, I believe such notions are based on theories suited for countires that are already at a stage where the public have the wherewithall to advance themselves.

Here for example is a report by the Milken Institute on Access to Capital. Note that we are slipping further down the scale, and that we are 50 full places behind South Africa.

The issue of security is obviously the government's business. It is the very reason why we came out of the state of nature, the primary extenuation for suffering the inconveniences of a sovereign.

Finally, consider the fact that without government intervention to create a middle-class, there will be a very small market if any for Kenyan goods.

So back to the core of the issue. I am not claiming that Kenya is not indeed better, neither do I nurse a grudge against Kibaki for continuing with Moi's projects. However, I have not seen any substantive shift in the conduct of our economy

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A walk on Dubois Lane
written by Kamale , March 06, 2007

If you were to walk on Dubois Lane in downtown Nairobi at 6 p.m., would you look straight and keep walking assuming that irrespective of what Ali or Michuki says you will still be mugged, so no point looking back or would you keep looking over your shoulder for than mugger you used to hear about a couple of years ago?

It is the same thing about Kenya today. We can keep walking looking straight without looking at where we came from and constantly assume that nothing really changed.

Let us start with Dr. Mutua's rosy picture of the Kibaki government's achievement. Is this the truth or is it a pack of lies? Are roads being built? Of these roads being built, how much of the money being spent actually comes from donors and how much actually comes from the Road levy Kenyans pay for through fuel?

Brian would like us to believe that Rural Electrification was there during Moi's time so nothing new here really. But is he not being economical with the truth? Just how much money was being held in investment accounts by KPLC from the REP fund? Money that would have been used to make electricity available to Kenyans. In May 2006, the government released 2.3 billion shillings to fund 419 REP schemes But with all this hype about figures, does it really work? I am a direct beneficiary of rural electrification in the last 3 years. In 1999 when my family first applied for the facility - even through the REP - KPLC quoted 120,000 shillings to supply us with power. In 2004, we were able to get the same service for 30,000 shillings like very many other people!! I am surprised that anyone will call this government propaganda!!

With respect to the Youth Fund, it is shameful that Brian has actually summarised this as a political tool to support those in power. There are two things here. If you ignore the political connotations that Brian wants to add to this, does the fund help address some of the problems that affect the youth? As for whether this makes the youth vote for Kibaki or not is another thing!

I have had the occasion to speak tot he youth PS about this fund and the intentions are very clearly not political as Brian suggests though in the end they could have a political implication, but are seriously intended to alleviate the problems our youth are facing. I have had occassion to see some of the business proposals put up by some of the young Kenyans and you really must give it to them for having ideas which they struggle to fund. To these young people, the fund is a godsend!

From where I stand, I could take the pessimists view like Brian. But the problem with that view, it tends to create a comfort zone within the troubles our country faces. I however, prefer to be an optimist. I see opportunities where pessimists do not see any and exploit them.

There are very many kenyans languishing in abject poverty and not even a Kalonzo government in 2012 will have resolved this. However, we do have a middle class that is getting bigger and bigger, and perhaps this is what will save our country.

Supposing if each one of us that contributes to these forums can show what it is they have done for themselves and their country in the last 4 years and compare what they did in the preceding 4 years. Would that be a mark of progress at a personal level?

In my case, I sold a multi-million shilling software deal in Kenya which I had utterly failed to do in 2001. A couple of my colleagues were able to relocate abroad with jobs and this created opportunities 3 young Kenyans who now work for my organisation. At a personal level, I have noted a 300% increase in my savings and investments between 2003 and today whilst in the preceding period, there was negative growth in my investments at the NSE. Finally, I was able to get a mortgage at 14.5% for my house whilst my previous mortgage on another house used to be 26% in 2000. You can call this flossing!!!

Brian, you may not want to credit Kibaki or his with this, but I can assure you that whilst they may not have directly contributed to some of the gains, one thing they did was create an enabling environment for the growth in business. I will also agree that the folk in Kibera cannot claim the same!!!

Unedited.

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Some reforms however
written by pndiangui , March 06, 2007

Ndirangu & Kamale
we recognize a few of these
incremental improvements
But as I noted this gvernment was elected not just for continous improvement of the past regimes projects or services but even in effecting radicle changes in governance to change the way the economy is carried out.

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what progress?
written by Newafroguy , March 07, 2007

Is it development, or progress when a government does merely what governments are supposed to do? pndiangui raises some very brilliant points that make me want to raise my expectations. Let's not risk being complacent.

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...
written by aeichener , March 07, 2007

It is good to have high expectations. Governments must be kept on their toes, lest they become lazy and complacent; that is one important watchdog role of the press.

But one must neither neglect the appreciation of what has been achieved, against that what one dreams of and waits for. Let's take the "fight against corruption" as an example. Many people are disappointed, because they had very high expectations, fuelled by the media. These indeed have not been fulfilled. But everybody who actually cares to *read* the quarterly and annual reports of KACC, can very easily ascertain that the Commission is indeed working hard, and that many cases have been initiated by the AG (and a number of them successfully concluded) based on the KACC work. One might criticize that the mainstay of the "successful" cases are low-level corruption incidents of everyday life, and that it true. Yet it is also true that these petty corruptions and abuses of office are what affects and afflicts the everyday life of the wananchi and the progress of small and middle business most.

So, while it is licit to criticize the NARC government for what it has not achieved, it is also necessarily to acknowledge what has been (and is presently being) achieved.

Alexander

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Well so much on incrementals
written by pndiangui , March 07, 2007

For example Alex your point on corruption is well taken. But I fail to see radicle measures meant to give a warning that graft wont be tolerated under all cost. This doesnt take just prosecuting those petty cases (which mean alot in changing mass peceptions about graft) but taking even bolder measures in the way justice is administrated for corruption cases.
I agree to some point with Karua and in the past Murungi that the war against corruption shouldnt be seen as a grand event but as a 'process', Now it is the shift in the processes we wanted to see not just optimizing the normal judiciary as it was in the past regime.
I for example would have wanted special corruption courts set up in every district to speed up cases against those petty crimes and High-Court committed to with resources to take up the usual 'constitution interpretations' brought foward by the well-oiled corrupt ex-civil servants or politicians. I would have loved to see some KPI (Key Performance Indicators) of judicial officials in these special courts tasked with all corruption cases highlighting Speed, Eficiency & Integrity as the core measuring criteria and anybody going against this grain to have some well outlined consequences.

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Kibaki not done anything?
written by Kara , March 08, 2007

So, the Kibaki administration has done nothing worth recognizing? Don’t be dishonest Brian.

It has become a common trend ("fashionable") for lazy commentators who rely on rumors, the west's propaganda, and misinformed/uninformed perceptions to lambast the Kibaki administration—this writer is no different.

Pessimism and biased views won't take Kenya where we all want. Next time you write something like this, please be decent enough to pass it as your opinion, and not misrepresent facts like you did.

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