Give President William Ruto Credit where it's due

By Joseph Lister Nyaringo

  In any democracy, voters make decisions based on the promises candidates make during the campaigns. Like all new leaders in office the world over, President William Ruto, faces the challenge of managing expectations from Kenyans who voted for him in 2022.

After clocking one year in office, President Ruto, has managed to do great things for the Kenyan people even as he continues to guide the nation on how and when he will implement developmental initiatives as stipulated in his 2022 manifesto.

During last year’s presidential campaigns, Ruto’s rallying call was centred on lifting the standard of living for Kenyans in the lower economic pyramid if he became President. This campaign strand is what became popularly known as the “bottom-up” economic model.

Nevertheless, for a President with a five-year term in office, one year is not enough to gauge his performance. However, in Kenya’s politicized environment, it’s easy to decipher a few developmental programs Ruto, has put in place to realize his agenda for the nation.

Despite the numerous challenges facing Kenya, President Ruto’s scorecard has many positive reflections. A continuation of this trajectory will automatically bring about socio-economic transformation to the country under his presidency.

In the international scene, the Kenyan President is seen as focused, assertive, creative, and well-versed in geopolitics. Within a span of one year in office, the United States and Europe value Ruto as an emerging African leader with ideas which resonate well for Kenya and Africa, in the 21st Century.

Within one year of the Ruto presidency, Kenya has experienced unprecedented visits from many global leaders; depicting him as a key player in shaping the global economy, politics, diplomacy, climatic change, peacebuilding,  and fighting extremism.

By hosting the Global Summit on Climatic Change in Nairobi where over 12,000 delegates congregated, the President demonstrated his capacity to promote intra-Africa linkages with Western powers to enhance trade, investment, education, and technology.  

On matters of Diaspora, Kenyans living abroad are buoyant about the creation of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. They believe that the Ministry will streamline the aspirations of the Diaspora as well as address their predicaments. It must be remembered that the Kenyan Diaspora plays an immense role in economic development through remittances, direct investment, and philanthropy.  

The current government has scored highly on expanding Information Communication Technology (ICT) which is headed by Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Eliud Owalo. The recent opening of Open University of Kenya (OUK) by President Ruto, is a silver bullet in technological advancement. Kenya is now in the league of other nations with full-fledged virtual learning. Besides, this first virtual learning institution in the country will promote Konza Technopolis.

The President’s recent visit to Silicon Valley in California, US to lure American technology companies to invest in Kenya is salutary in the promotion of Silicon Savannah, which is Kenya’s emerging technology hub.

By consolidating 5,000 government services to a single-pay bill number, the current government killed two birds using one stone…This concept will cut government costs, combat fraud, and enhance efficiency and accountability when conducting government-public transactions.  

Let us give credit where it’s due. President Ruto’s CS for information and communication and digital economy, Eliud Owalo, has aggressively done a commendable job of digitalizing the country. The pilot program of installing free WiFi connections in market centres to benefit the general public is a masterstroke to boost communication and enable Kenyan youth to access online opportunities free of charge.

The area that Ruto’s government must focus on is putting systems in place to conduct government meetings virtually to cut costs. Critics say the recent meetings held in Kakamega and Sagana State lodges were not cost-effective.

Even the annual devolution symposium held two months ago in Eldoret should have accommodated only a lean number of delegates and have the majority of participants from the County and National government attend the meeting virtually.  

President Ruto has carried himself with a soft demeanour. He is more versatile, and his responses are more measured and statesmanly. Despite talking tough on the fight against graft i.e., sugar cartels, and hitting at the political opposition, Ruto doesn’t sound abrasive like he used to when he was deputy President.

By ignoring the narrative purveyed by his deputy Rigati Gachagua, of comparing the Kenyan government to “a shareholding company,” Ruto has demonstrated visionary leadership if his words during a tour of Luo Nyanza are something to go by.

On the other hand, by supporting bipartisan talks headed by Kikuyu member of Parliament Kimani Ichungwa and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, the President has helped to scale down high-voltage politics. The sum total of this is enhancing unity, peace, and cohesiveness in the country.

Despite his tax model attracting a lot of condemnation, what Kenyans must remember is that all is not rosy even in the developed world. For instance, having been in Kenya for over sixteen months, my return to the United States two weeks ago surprised me.

Kenya is not alone on the impact of high inflation…The Americans are crying too. The cost of food has spiked by almost 14%. A bottle of Pepsi Cola which used to cost $1.50, now goes for  $3.70. The prices of other basic items like sugar, bread, eggs, and meat have increased tremendously.

In the fight against graft, the purge in the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) over Kshs. 3.7 billion mosquito net deal by the President is laudable. He fired Public Health permanent Secretary Dr Josephine Mburu.

A similar purge happened in the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) over the dirty sugar scandal where Managing Director Bernard Njiraini and Director of Quality Assurance Dr Geoffrey Muriira lost their jobs. This demonstrates the President's commitment to fighting corruption which is a big impediment towards economic development.

According to Professor Charles Choti of Washington DC, fertilizer subsidies provided to farmers by the Ruto government have not only provided farmers with financial relief but have also boosted the farmers’ morale. This will in turn ensure a steady supply of food for the nation.

Professor Choti further argues that extending government subsidies to farmers is one way of reducing unemployment in the country since many Kenyans tarmacking for unavailable jobs will embark on farming to earn a livelihood.

While the Ruto administration has done well to support farmers with fertilizers, it is high time his government looked into the concept of supporting farmers with insurance to mitigate risks and uncertainties, especially livestock keepers in pastoralist communities.

The Ministry of Trade should take the lead in helping farmers with product marketing as well as supporting farmers in semi-arid regions to construct boreholes and artificial dams to help with irrigation and watering the animals.

Lister Nyaringo, is the President of Kenya Patriotic Movement, a Diaspora lobby based in the US

 

Diplomacy: Hardline positions will worsen the Israel-Palestinian conflict

By Joseph Lister Nyaringo

The League of Nations failed to live up to its mandate, 20 years after inception paving the way for the formation of the United Nations as a replacement. Whether the UN has lived up to its founding charter of maintaining international peace and security based on mutual respect of nations and the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, remains to be seen.

Seven decades down the road, the UN has not done enough to scale down global conflicts. In the more recent past, we've seen wars in the Gulf, Bosnia, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria, political coups mostly in former French Colonies in Africa, and civil strife in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan.

The most recent is the Russian invasion of Ukraine whose war is still on and the Hamas extremist attack in Israel last week where over a thousand civilians were killed and over a hundred were held as hostages.

The World is currently in turmoil. The major UN organs- the Security Council, General Assembly, International Court of Justice, and the trusteeship Council have not done enough to mitigate the situation.

The Russian President, Vladmir Putin is involved in a senseless war with Ukraine where innocent lives have been lost and the country’s infrastructure destroyed. The United States of America which is a superpower housing the UN has failed to be a neutral arbiter on global instabilities.

In the Middle East, former US President Bill Clinton almost realized peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the early 1990s. However, his efforts were thwarted when Israel extremists neutered the Oslo Accord by assassinating former Israel Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin.

The accord was the clearest pathway towards a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Islamic extremists are having a field day if the recent attack in Israel by Hamas is something to go by. The killing of almost a thousand Israelis and taking over a hundred hostages has sent shockwaves throughout the world on the future of peace in the Middle East.

No nation, global body, religious organization, or individual has shown or come up with any profound idea on how to resolve the Israel and Palestinian conflict.  

As the world grapples with two wars-Russia versus Ukraine and Israel versus Hamas in Palestine, maybe the world should think of forming a different global conglomeration to address global peace and security since the UN has failed.

The UN has failed either due to violation of its core mandate by member states or because of the rigidity of its leadership from conforming to new trends in diplomacy and peacebuilding. For instance, Israel has unilaterally violated the UN  mandate several times without any consequences.

Russia, which is a permanent member of the UN, with veto powers, is involved in an illegal invasion of Ukraine which is a sovereign nation. Other member states are mute about this. Even nations with veto powers like the US, China, France, and the United Kingdom have not done enough to address the root cause of the Russian armies in Ukraine.

There is no reason why leaders from 193 nations should congregate in New York just to make good speeches with recommendations which are never implemented. 

Tooth for tooth, and an eye for an eye, will make two warring parties blind. The current conflict in the Middle East can critically be seen to be between irrationality and insanity-Hamas, and rationality and sanity-Israel. The Palestinian extremist group, Hamas is like a deranged person while Israel represents a normal person.

My point therefore is this, Hamas feels justified to inflict pain on Israel based on decades of territorial differences and Israel feels justified to retaliate over the infliction. Therefore, Israel should take a more reasonable path to resolve the crisis and not act like the ragtag Hamas extremists who have no clear foundational leadership.  

On the global scene, Ukrainians, Palestinians, and Israelis are all crying. In Africa, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in West Africa, Francophone States are going through coup detats. In all the said conflicts, the sum total is human suffering.

The proliferation of weapons has spiralled global conflicts. If Hamas didn’t have weapons, they would not have the temerity to break into Israel to kill and kidnap innocent civilians. Israel, with its military might swung into action to retaliate the Hamas attack. Perhaps if they didn’t have weapons, they could’ve reverted to diplomacy as a pathway to peace.

Extremism or the show of military might cannot solve the Palestinian and Israelis crisis. What is required is sobriety centred on the pathway to peace.

Partisanship from the global community on the conflict continues to bedevil the peace process. For instance, there is no reason for the US to openly support aggrieved Israel if indeed they believe in brokering peace in the region.

Furthermore, sending an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean Sea as well as its chief diplomat Antony Blinken to Israel at the height of the Israel bombardment in Gaza is not a well-thought-out idea. This is fueling the crisis into a full-fledged war.

Instead of sending military gear to support Israel, the US should utilize former President Bill Clinton’s diplomatic prowess to help the region work towards the path to peace.

It must be remembered that two decades ago, Clinton carried out a mission that saved the minority Albanians from Serbia under the late Slobodan Milosevic. On the other hand, the former President is remembered for brokering the Oslo Accord which was the best angle closer to realizing peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

Prime Netanyahu should have the wherewithal to revert to the Oslo Accord of 1993, where the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat, and Israeli Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin struck a deal for peace.

As the longest serving Israel premier, Netanyahu should focus on his legacy by building clear avenues to leave a peaceful Israel and not the number of bombs the Israel army will rain in Gaza and the number of Hamas rebels who will be killed in the operation.

It must be remembered that extremism is not a preserve of Muslim Palestinians alone. It's also an Israelis challenge. The ultranationalist who assassinated Rabin during a rally held in support of the Oslo Accord in 1995 was not a Muslim but a Jew.

Hardline positions from both sides are likely to worsen the crisis. It will also embolden internal and external extremist groups like Isis, Al-Qaeda, Alshabaab etc. who are hell-bent on causing more havoc to humanity.

If the conflict is not contained, it may spiral to other volatile nations in the region like Syria, and Lebanon. Who knows, as the global community takes sides in the conflict, it may explode into another world war as countries like Russia, Iran, China, France, Britain, etc. have already taken sides.

This is a time for powerful nations to show leadership by encouraging negotiation for a truce, the release of hostages, secession of Israel bombing, allowing humanitarian relief to Gaza, and urging Israel to apply international humanitarian law to protect innocent civilians. 

Nyaringo is the President of the Kenya patriotic movement, a diaspora lobby based in the US