The Kenya we want — and the one we don’t

Come to think about it. The Kenya we want is not a difficult question after all. The real question is how to get to the Kenya we want. What practical steps we need to take to get there and what penalties are there for those who lead us elsewhere or astray.

The Kenya we want, in my view, is plainly and simply a Kenya of ACCOUNTABILITY. Kenyans are very enterprising people and are capable of achieving any heights if they can manage to create an environment of accountability. The problem though, is that since independence, Kenyans have had a very poor track record of standing up for what is right and totally rejecting what is wrong. Recently, a gentleman who had taken about 10 years to do a road and got huge moneys from the government for varying the contract over the period was elected an MP in a constituency where that road was supposed to pass. Key reason? He was rich, and that seemed a strong qualification for him to be elected. Now he is a 'Mheshimiwa'! This is the problem with Kenyans.

I look forward in my life time to see people who steal or waste funds from government promptly resigning from their positions, and a court system that convicts them within a year. I look forward to seeing such people barred from holding public office for a defined period of time and when they are finally allowed, I look forward to Kenyans who will put them to shame by rejecting them if they stood for electoral office.

I look forward to a time when the government will devote its efforts to rapid development of infrastructure (roads, railways, electricity, water), and essential services (education, health etc) and leave the private sector to drive the rest. I can’t wait to see a modern railway line in the existing routes, and a new one linking Southern Sudan and Ethiopia. I can’t wait to see a deep harbour done in Lamu from where we can connect the railway line to tap into those two economies. Who and how shall we hold the government accountable for that with clear milestones?

Coalition of tribes

I can’t wait to see a sensible land policy that optimises land use in Kenya; and an incentive scheme that helps to utilise the large tracks of land all over the place to make Kenya self-sufficient in food -- and indeed a net exporter. In the same vein, I can’t wait to feel I can own property anywhere, live anywhere in this beautiful country and sleep soundly at night.

The 'Kenya we want' must be a Kenya that has created a defining and differentiating 'thing' about what it means to be Kenyan. That 'thing' in Tanzania is Language. Tanzanians from the shores of the Lake Victoria speak the same Swahili as the ones in Tanga. You can tell them from far. All they need to do is open their mouth! What is that unifying and defining 'thing' for Kenya? We must think long and hard, and if it’s not there, create it. Otherwise we risk having the Kenya we do not want, which is a loose coalition of tribes.

I look forward to a Kenya that is a real hub of the region. A Kenya with the best international airport; with the best facilities for connections, including hotel facilities for transit passengers. A Kenya with a modern free port in Mombasa that creates a whole new industry that links us to most of inland Africa because of its efficiency and tax free nature.

A Kenya that will have its priorities right whether donor driven or not. One where a donor would be told it's more urgent to do the by-pass that diverts the upcountry, Uganda and Rwanda-bound traffic from passing through the city centre than expanding Mombasa road to bring them in.

Kenya is gifted with many natural sites, which is a great thing for both local and global tourists. I look forward to a Kenya which prioritises access to such areas as the Maasai Mara, Mt Kenya, Mt Elgon, the Aberdare ranges, and many others. A Kenya that recognises that excellence in tourism is a key ingredient to sustainable development.

This country is gifted with young men and women who are world beaters in almost any sport. The 'Kenya we want' must invest in sports with a clear focus to beating the world in addition to consolidating our lead in long distance running. Maybe this might be one area Kenyans can rally in terms of defining our nationhood.

Compulsory youth service

In the same spirit of driving a sense of patriotism and young people genuinely interacting in a meaningful way beyond their localities, I would look forward to a Kenya that introduces compulsory youth service before any citizen is offered permanent employment. This works very well in some countries, especially Nigeria. After college it is the responsibility of the individual to identify an area beyond his province to serve for a period of six months with only minimum pay (something like KSh.3,000 per month). This may include working as an untrained teacher, or clerk in private company or agricultural extension worker, regardless of what you want to do afterwards. This gives people a sense of appreciation of what goes on at the grass roots and in different communities.

I look forward to a Kenya where, to create national cohesion, we create differentiated tax payments for private companies that can demonstrate significant ownership across at least four communities. This makes the potential entrepreneur reach out to colleagues from other communities to start businesses, and others would sell shares in existing businesses. By so doing, when trouble comes, businesses will no longer be perceived as being owned by “a certain community”.

Finally, I look forward to a Kenya where institutions work and the leaders in these institutions are not beholden to the Government of the day. A time when, if there is, say, an electoral dispute, the antagonists would go straight to court rather than the streets because they expect fair, rapid judgment.

Fortunately, for all the suggestions made above, none requires a big conference to debate. They are all just do it and we shall be off to creating the Kenya we want.

The question is, how do we hold our leaders accountable to deliver this?