Commentary (by Stephen Mburu) - Big Three should live up to their election pledges

Ref:http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=2&newsid=118601

Story by STEPHEN MBURU
Publication Date: 3/9/2008

If all it took was a magic wand to turn promises into reality, Kenya would transform overnight, riding on the wave of promises made by the three main presidential contenders in last year’s General Election.

With the formation of a grand coalition that brings together President Kibaki, Prime Minister designate Raila Odinga and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, it now appears Kenyans have every reason to expect the best services from the government.

Already the leaders have constituted a committee to harmonise their parties’ manifestoes. When he opened Parliament on Thursday, President Kibaki said: “We have put together a high-level team to synergise, harmonise and highlight priority policies and programmes proposed in the PNU, ODM and ODM-K manifestoes into a joint policy and programme strategy.”

Though it may not be an easy job to merge the manifestoes, the leaders’ point of convergence revolved around economic growth, security, poverty eradication, improved education, better healthcare, equity in resource distribution as well as gender equality. All were committed to constitutional reforms.

Each candidate also had a grand plan on how to tackle unemployment among the youth. For instance, they promised free secondary education as well as free healthcare for all Kenyans at public educational and health institutions.

They had also promised to invest heavily in infrastructure and improve communication networks countrywide.

President Kibaki had pledged to steer the economy to grow at the rate of 13 per cent by the year 2012. Mr Odinga and Mr Musyoka had said their governments would push economic growth to 10 per cent annually.

Usawa Programme

President Kibaki said his new government would help reduce poverty rates “to less than 25 per cent for the entire country by 2012.” A PNU government would also give special development attention to North Eastern and Coast provinces so the areas could catch up with the rest of the country.

Mr Musyoka had promised that an ODM-Kenya government would invest funds in ranching and beef farming in North Eastern Province, while agriculture and tourism would be top of the agenda in the Rift Valley.

Mr Odinga said he would establish a programme dubbed Usawa (Kiswahili translation for equity) for poor families to break inter-generational transmission of poverty. He promised to create a new Ministry of Social Development in the Office of the President with a supervisory mandate. The move is aimed at helping the Usawa programme succeed.

Devolved funds

President Kibaki promised the youth more jobs and good incomes for both urban and rural families.

Mr Odinga promised to transform the Jua Kali sector to make it key in job creation. To meet the objective, Mr Odinga promised to implement policies and programmes which would create decent jobs and boost enterprise. Key among these would be promotion of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to assist in job creation.

He had promised to open “ jobseekers’ “ offices first, in major cities and towns, then countrywide to help school leavers secure employment.

ODM would also implement a pilot scheme called Career Development Loan, a deferred repayment commercial bank credit designed to help fund up to two years of vocational education in polytechnics and other institutions of learning.

Mr Musyoka had said an ODM-Kenya government would introduce taxation measures friendly to the poor. And that income tax would be charged only on those earning Sh30,000 and above and not the current Sh12,000.

He promised better healthcare management. His government would also introduce a mode of delivery system which would be a mixture of the public organisation — the National Social Health Insurance Fund and the privately run Health Management Organisations (HMOs).

Mr Kibaki said a PNU government would set aside 30 per cent of public jobs for women. Mr Odinga also promised to ensure a minimum 30 per cent representation of women in Parliament, local government and foreign service. Mr Kalonzo made a similar pledge.

On devolution, Mr Odinga promised his government would streamline operation of devolved funds such as Constituency Development Fund, Local Authority Transfer Fund and Road Maintenance Levy to avoid duplication.

President Kibaki said a PNU government would be committed to an effective central government “that protects less endowed regions and communities and ensures all Kenyans are treated equally, fairly and justly.” That every part of the country would receive an equitable share of economic and social development “to build a society that is cohesive, secure and tolerant.”

His government would go for accountable, devolved structures at the grassroots and that no region or community would be discriminated against in terms of development under his leadership.

Mr Musyoka planned to introduce a new version of majimbo dubbed “economic federalism.” The system aimed at empowering each region to engage in an economic activity with high potential in its area.

On corruption, the President said a PNU government would deliver promises “with prudence and accountability, ensuring that corruption and wastage are eradicated.”

He also promised to entrench democratic institutions with adequate checks and balances among key state organs and institutions, and pledged to ensure national unity and allow sufficient devolution of power.

On human rights, President Kibaki said: “We commit to protect and promote human rights and guarantee freedom of expression, information, association and religion.”

Common challenge

Mr Odinga promised to strengthen the State-run Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and increase its funding. That his government would domesticate all international treaties which Kenya has acceded to or ratified.

He also promised to enact an Access of Information Bill into law “to ensure transparency and abolish the tradition of secrecy through which corruption and malfeasance have thrived.” He promised to deal “decisively” with tribalism.

During the campaigns, the three leaders respectively marketed their respective parties as the best.

With all of them now in government, the leaders have a common challenge—to help translate the best of their verbal promises into solid action. They cannot give any excuse for failure to deliver the best government Kenyans have ever had.