Differences in Jubilee and Nasa manifestos basically the same

President Uhuru Kenyatta during the launch of the Jubilee Party manifesto at Safaricom Kasarani stadium on June 26, 2017. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Odinga was not only uncharacteristically short of vigour and humour, but spent a good share of his time rumbling about who was at the event.
  • Jubilee, being in power, has an elaborate script about its achievements and how it is addressing its failures.
  • The most difficult bucket of all is the fight against corruption, which both promise to step up.

The Jubilee and Nasa manifestos launched earlier this week have similar pillars and messages presented in shades of the red and orange.

The more the authors tried to make them look different, the more they appear alike, just like the creatures in George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

The most notable difference is the style in which the manifestos were launched.

Jubilee’s launch on Monday, which was covered live as an advertising event by all the major TV stations, was full of fun and energy that is characteristic of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto.

POOR STAGE

The Nasa launch a day later, which was only covered live by Citizen TV, was, surprisingly, a relatively dull event whose glamour was lost due to poor stage management and presentations by leaders, including presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga, and his running mate, Mr Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka.

Mr Odinga was not only uncharacteristically short of vigour and humour, but spent a good share of his time rumbling about who was at the event.

Jubilee, being in power, has an elaborate script about its achievements and how it is addressing its failures.

CABINET SECRETARIES

The event started with Cabinet secretaries presenting their scorecards before President Kenyatta made his presentation.

The Jubilee agenda was packaged in three  pillars.

The first is transforming lives, which covers social development such as education, health care, housing, water and sanitation, sports and culture.

The second is transforming society, which includes governance, social justice, fighting corruption, security and devolution; and the last, transforming the nation, which basically covers enablers of economic growth.

PARTICIPATION

Nasa’s six-point manifesto focuses on progressive values of democracy, the rule of law, affirmative action, media freedom, transparency and public participation.

Its leaders attacked Jubilee on key specific areas but without saying how they will change this.

They criticised Jubilee for the current maize shortages, promising to transform agriculture and turn Kenya into an exporter of grains and cereals.

Another promise is to expand infrastructure, including electrifying and extending the standard gauge railway.

ECONOMIC SENSE

The SGR is a Jubilee flagship project and Nasa seems to acknowledge that it makes economic sense, and should be expanded to Naivasha, Kisumu and Busia to Uganda to improve trade in the East African Community. 

On education, both promised to transform and expand to reduce wastage of children lost after primary school.

This is mainly because secondary schools are unable to absorb all.

Jubilee and Nasa agree on abolishing the national primary school exam and expanding secondary schools to absorb all the pupils.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

The only difference is in the time frame, with Nasa promising change earlier.

They also agree on training of ICT in primary schools.

The most difficult bucket of all is the fight against corruption, which both promise to step up.

The problem lies in how they hope to fight corruption networks when institutions entrusted with the task have little to show for the public funds allocated every year. 

GRAND CORRUPTION

While the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Director of Public Prosecution and the Judiciary poke one another on who is failing, the grand corruption of yesteryear, including Goldenberg, Anglo Leasing and Anpi-Pharma, continue to haunt the government and recent cases are proving hard to resolve.

The institutions need innovative ways of fighting graft to justify their mandate and existence.

Indeed, the agenda Nasa outlined, even its pet subject of prudent management of public debt, appeared more informed by Jubilee’s strategy but spiced up with populist charges of how the latter has failed.

In sum, it’s hard to see where Nasa will take radical action to change the course of the road to economic, social and political development.

Mr Warutere is a director of Mashariki Communications Ltd, [email protected]