As the political campaigns in the country hit a
fever pitch, Kenyan voters are mostly focused on the person who will take over
the leadership mantle from President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose second and last term
in of
fice comes to an end in less than two months.
If the Infotrak poll conducted recently which, puts former Prime Minister Raila Odinga ahead of his opponent-deputy President William Ruto in the presidential race is something to go by, it may be clear that an Odinga Presidency deputized by honourable Martha Karua, is inevitable.
Good leadership is the cornerstone of success in
any country. It also defines a country’s domestic future and role on the global
stage. After the August 9th general election, those who will occupy
different elective and appointed leadership positions will determine whether
Kenya is going to remain an economic powerhouse in East and Central Africa or
will continue to be impoverished through corruption and lose its stature.
The promises made during political campaigns can
be termed as mere proposals. The Azimio la Umoja Coalition led by former Prime
Minister Raila Odinga who is deputized by former Minister for Justice and
Constitutional Affairs, Martha Karua has released a manifesto with a raft of
promises to Kenyans.
To actualize the manifesto, the country has to be on a better financial footing since all the proposed programs ranging from a welfare system, free education across the board will involve money.
The most severe challenges facing Kenya today
are economic inequality, corruption, unemployment, mismanagement of public
resources, and the public debt burden. Kenyans are waiting with bated breath to
see what the new administration hopefully led by Mr Odinga will do to cushion
them from these malaises.
The big question for honourables Odinga and Karua
is this, will they confront the purveyors of corruption head-on and seal all
the loopholes that perpetuate the vice in order to put the country on the right
economic footing?
Tackling corruption will require goodwill from
these state organs, the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary plus other
constitutional bodies. It will also require a voracious push for fundamental
policy steps and rule changes by the government in power.
Other critical challenges that bedevil the
economy of Kenya are money laundering, stashing funds illegally acquired in
offshore bank accounts, the drugs menace and overborrowing from overseas
partners.
The said challenges are hefty for a new
administration. One could say that Odinga, Karua government’s plate will quite
be full of problems… The two leaders will be striding into an environment of
turbulence and uncertainty.
The atmosphere of optimism dominates many Kenyan
voters who support the Azimio coalition. The majority of them view Odinga and
Karua as leaders carved from the stone of reforms- the quest for fairness,
justice, and equality. Their credentials speak volumes; their values,
resiliency, incorruptible track record, and commitment to public duty are
impeccable.
The new government should initiate an aggressive mechanism to repossess all grabbed public assets. This includes public land, buildings, and funds hidden abroad by looters. Without recovering assets illegally acquired by thieves, it will be elusive to overcome the fight against graft. In fact, it will be like trying to fill a leaking tank.
Reserving the docket of Justice and constitutional affairs for his deputy Martha Karua is a clear demonstration that Odinga is prepared to confront the monster of corruption head-on. It puts Karua, who is also a senior lawyer on fertile ground to ensure that economic crimes in the country are prosecuted and convictions arrived at in a timely version. What should follow is a complete seizure of all sums of money and properties acquired unjustifiably by the convicted.
Kenyans expect the new government to initiate an aggressive mechanism for asset recovery and management. This must be followed with full public disclosure of what has been recovered locally and from abroad, and the amount ploughed back into the economy.
Transparency and accountability are a panacea to
managing and protecting public resources. Taxpayers need to know who is behind
the stashing of funds abroad, the actual amount, accrued interests and lastly,
the funds’ return timelines.
Kenyans are yet to be told by the current
government led by President Kenyatta if the two memorandums he signed in 2018
with his Swiss counterpart Alain Berse and former British Prime Minister,
Theresa May did yield some fruit to recover funds hidden in Swiss banks and the
Island of Jersey.
Another critical challenge the Odinga Presidency must confront is
how to cushion the country from over-borrowing from China. There are growing
concerns about over-borrowing which has bloated the country’s external debt to
a whopping 4.2 trillion Kenyan Shillings, which is about 35.8 billion US
dollars. Failure to cut this will plunge the country into a "debt
trap" and this will affect even unborn Kenyans on repayments.
As the adage goes, the borrower is a slave to the lender. In Sri
Lanka, the country was forced to give up its two ports to China, as a result,
of failing to service their loans. What will remain of Kenya if China claims
the Port of Mombasa or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport if Kenya cannot
curtail her appetite for loans from the Asian giant?
The eleven years old Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) despite its officers enjoying the security of tenure, has not done much to arrest graft in the country. To spur its investigative and prosecutorial capacity, the Odinga, Karua government should consider injecting more funds into the (EACC) as well as influencing legislation that will grant more powers to the body. This will reverse the shoddy work the agency has been doing to curb corruption in the country.
The new administration should focus on creating a conducive
environment to attract foreign investors. This will be a boon towards job
creation and human capital development, economic growth and providing tax
incentives.
There are no investors who will want to put their funds in an
environment of uncertainty…where money laundering is a norm, and bribery, is a
tradition, especially in getting government services. For instance, many US
companies are ambivalent to invest in Kenya due to massive government bureaucracy,
corruption, and high tariffs.
Lister Nyaringo is the President of Kenya
Patriotic Movement a diaspora lobby based in the US
