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POLITICS
NARC’s first one hundred days
Exactly three months after being voted into parliament, Kenya’s legislators awarded themselves salary increases. These increases will see their pay packages rise from the equivalent of US $5,000 to well over US $6,000.
To make it worse, Finance Minister David Mwiraria confessed that the MPs sitting on the budget review committee had held him to ransom, and insisted on him including the additional expenditure in the current revised budget estimates. This behaviour has raised outrage amongst Kenyans who are now feeling betrayed. Just before the 27 December 2002 general elections, Kenyans were determined more than ever to change the leadership that had existed during the Kenya African National Union KANU‘s tenure of office —a regime which they deemed to have been entirely self-centred.
Riding on this desire for change was the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) that brought together more than 15 opposition parties, in a bid to oust the ruling KANU. NARC‘s election success was not because they were any better than other political parties, but they seemed to have been responding to the people’s aspirations. The general mood at that time was for a change in leadership. And this, NARC promised to fulfil.
During the election campaign period, various artists and singers came up with victory songs that were embraced by the leaders in the emerging opposition party. On 27 December, NARC won a landslide victory, winning 127 seats out of a possible 220 in Parliament. Kenyans poured onto the streets singing and dancing.
During their election campaign, NARC promised they would: Introduce free primary education; get rid of corruption; implement the contentious teachers’ salary award that has been in dispute since 1997; create 500,000 jobs annually; give young people a chance of gainful employment.
The NARC government has successfully introduced and implemented free primary education. This is welcomed by many parents as nearly 7.5 million out of the 9.2 million children of school age have now be enroled in school. Another successful programme is the rehabilitation of street children and families by the Nairobi City Council. And that’s it! Most of the other promises made by NARC before the elections, seem to non-starters.
Emerging trends cause concern
Participants at an open discussion forum organized by Vision 2027, decried the emerging trend whereby new appointments in lucrative jobs seem to be going to the President’s cronies — a frequent occurrence during KANU‘s regime. Also contentious is the fact that these new appointments are being given to people who are way past their prime. Many young people who can’t get jobs are beginning to complain, and people are beginning to see a repeat of KANU‘s way of doing things i.e. rewarding one’s friends with jobs!
During the forum, Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta (42), the leader of the official Opposition, expressed concern that President Kibaki seems to be rewarding his cronies with plum jobs, and failing to give young people a chance to prove themselves. e.g. Retired General Kariuki, George Muhoho, Mahamoud Yusuf Haji and Mbathi — people all in their sixties. Also, there is a general feeling that those who are benefiting, come from the Democratic Party (DP) of Kenya, one of the parties that form the NARC coalition.
In spite of all the protests, President Kibaki and those surrounding him, have never bothered to offer any kind of explanation to the people. (Unlike former President Moi who used to comment on almost any issue of public concern). Kenyans now have to learn to take time to wait, see and hear from their President.
On the occasion of the «first one hundred days», a poster appeared showing the President enumerating everything his government has achieved during that time. He said that Kenya was consolidating its gains and a start was being made on rebuilding the country. He said a major achievement was in the hearts and minds who now have confidence in the future.
Writing in his column in the East African Standard, journalist Joe Kadhi said: «Kenyans did not want an elective dictatorship in which a minority party (in this case the DP) happens to be given excessive power with little care for public opinion. It seems there are some people in power who would like to have a powerful centralized government with no scope for regional or local democratic space.»
- Viviene Charity Simwa, Kenya, April 2003 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment