By Comrade Albert Nyakundi Amenya
The fact that Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta has continued to keep sealed lips in the face of allegations and counter-allegations of bribery, nepotistic appointments, fraud, outright misappropriations of public funds and embezzlement, is no longer a surprise to Kenyans. Before inadvertently taking over power, this president and his deputy William aka Mr. Brickbat thrower, promised Kenyans heaven but instead, he is delivering otherwise.
The Jubilee government will go down in the annals as one the most reckless and exploitative regimes the world has ever seen. The monumental stealing of billions of shillings from the coffers by Uhuru’s men continues to bedevil our economy.
What I consider most insulting to us as a nation is the insidious politics of silence that the President plays even when Kenyans are crying out loud. Kenyatta has skillfully, and in most crafty manner, avoided engaging the Kenyan media and the country’s teeming populace on whose behalf he has custody of the money accruing from their collective resource. So brazen and sure-footed have been his style of not stepping out to offer any clarifications or explanations to Kenyans.
President Kenyatta’s attitude is just but a reflection of the leadership deficit in our beloved country. Even as Kenyatta continues to play the ostrich, he must know that the lord is watching his every step from a distance.
Ours is a porous polity that is easily manipulated for selfish motives. The real frustration is the carefree attitude of the Jubilee apparatchiks who are ordinarily mandated to check the level of corruption, outright stealing, embezzlement, and misuse of public funds that is going on in this country. It does not take a soothsayer to tell where we got it wrong.
Most of the Jubilee parliamentarians are tainted with corruption and they are out to add insult to injury by making nonsense of the fight against graft and enthrone the crass impunity that has crippled every aspect of public life. When EACC is set to grill them, they disband it at the earliest time possible.
Just recently, President Kenyatta rewarded his children’s friends, his friends, his father’s friends, and the children of his father’s friends with parastatal appointments. As if that is not enough, he went ahead to reward the lawyers who defended him at The Hague based ICC court with the chairmanships in different boards all at the peril of the common Mwananchi.
Despite the noises made by Kenyans, he carries on as if nothing matters. He and his ever-complaining deputy are running public offices like personal fiefdoms. To them, everything about public offices is shredded in deceit and secrecy. If that is not a sign of irresponsibility, then I appeal to grammarians to ‘rebase’ the word itself.
Ours is a country that continues to get the ugly side of leadership or political raw deal – from head to toe, a nation where nonchalance clouds every public activity.
It does not take rocket science to fix our problems. It must be seen that President Kenyatta is serious with the fight against graft. Uhuru’s body language must radiate and manifest this. This is a simple case of leading by example. Like I have said here before, it only takes a click on the computer tab to learn the precise salary of President Obama and the members of the Congress, here in Kenya not even on request will anyone tell you the precise amounts of jumbo money earned by President Kenyatta and our Members of Parliament.
June is around the corner and the national budget will be read. Unfortunately, our budget has become an annual ritual with nothing substantive coming out of it. Now they have told us that our economy is the strongest in East and Central Africa, but whether we countenance it or not, we must swallow the story, even when it does not translate to the general well being of our fellow countrymen. We must be bold enough to tell ourselves the truth – that we are indeed a corrupt people.
It’s time the President and his deputy began to exhibit transparency even if of minimal quantity, in the conduct of our country’s affairs for us to move forward. Albeit I understand that the deputy President loves land more than his own life and family, he should learn to let go any empty spaces he comes across.
Nevertheless, I can only conclude that there must be something unique about Kenya and its ability to withstand the kind of reckless looting that is ongoing. Undoubtedly, even first world countries whose economies are touted to be the strongest in the world, cannot withstand such serial rape of this purse. May be it is the intervention of the hand of God. Regrettably, these Jubilee leaders gladly announce to us, by words and by body language that they don’t give a damn to all this.
What this nation needs is at this time is a level-headed leadership that is resolute and puts the interest of a country above personal and political considerations. For this reason, it must muster massive political will.
Long story short, the fight against graft is critical to our nation’s very survival. It must, therefore, not pander to comrade or enemy, family or associate. Those who are shielding the corrupt are the real enemies of the state. Pray, what future are we bequeathing to the future generations? I, the banana Pedlar, shudder to consider it. For every patriotic Kenyan, it is about time we wept for our country.
Now I agree with Sigmund Freud in his words that “Men are more moral than they think, and far more immoral that they can imagine.”
The author is 2017 Parliamentary Aspirant, Kitutu Chache North- Kisii County
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