Uhuru’s Mashujaa Day speech could have done with one unifying theme

I listened keenly to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Mashujaa Day speech yesterday. As with many presidential speeches on national days, it had little in terms of a central theme.
The self-proclaimed digital president has inherited the dull and dreary speeches of his analog predecessors, Mwai Kibaki, Daniel arap Moi and Jomo Kenyatta.
These are speeches that are largely put together by asking all the government ministries to contribute a paragraph or two each on their main achievements.
The paragraphs are then pasted together with no little discernible rhyme or reason, the end result being a disjointed and uncoordinated effort held together only by that monotonous ‘My fellow citizens’.
Thus in yesterday’s speech we heard about the National Youth Service, expansion of the electric grid and reduction of prices, food production, irrigation, training of artisans, roads, airports and other infrastructure projects, urban gentrification (seriously, that’s the word in the speech), livestock development, youth empowerment, job creation … ad infinitum.
Throughout the laudatory self-praise, however, there were notable themes that in many ways are coming to define the Uhuru presidency.
He talked tough on security, in view of the terrorism menace, and minced no words in warning those who use religion as a cover for violent extremism that the government would neutralise them.
A strong message against the purveyors of terror certainly needs support across the board. Although the terrorism that has found a home in Kenya is grounded in a demented version of Islamic extremism, it affects all, irrespective of religion or creed, culture, status, race or political leanings.

The President’s message, however, would be much more effective if he made an example of those close to power who act as protectors of the terrorists.

When the security forces launch missions against terrorist havens, we can be sure there will be politicians close to the president who will be the first to complain their people are being victimised.

The President must also go beyond rhetoric, and purge the security forces of elements that, by their sheer incompetence, or maybe collusion and corruption, allow terrorist to infiltrate through our porous borders, acquire arms and smuggle arms and explosives, recruit locally, set up training and indoctrination camps, and plan their dastardly missions.

CHEAP POLITICAL CAPITAL

Finally on that same score, it would help a great deal if he focused on the real problem; and resisted the temptation to make cheap political capital out of the terrorist threat by trying to somehow link it to the domestic political opposition or the phantom foreign enemies.

On that score, another notable theme in the speech was the Moi-style obsession with taking potshots at the opposition.

The one party dictators, Jomo Kenyatta and Moi had perfected the art of misusing the bully pulpit to hit out at ‘traitors’ and ‘enemies of development’.

Anyone who dared raise a finger against wanton official corruption, looting and land-grabbing, dictatorship and tyranny, was invariably accused of being in the pay of foreign masters and engaging in noisy politics instead of development.

Listening to the President on Monday and his tired exhortations on development as opposed to politicking, I was persuaded that he had learnt well at the feet of his Kanu one-party-state mentors.

He may speak in more moderate ad measured tones, but every time he made those references suggesting that the opposition should focus more on development rather than its primary mandate, it was an echo of the dictatorial system where Kanu was Mama na Baba.

President Kenyatta and his Deputy must be reminded that the old regime is dead and buried and must never be exhumed. It is the job of the government, not individual politicians or political parties, to build roads, bridges, dams, railway lines, power stations, schools and all the other things we call development.

The role of the opposition is to keep the government in check and sound the whistle when excesses threaten the nation state and the welfare, and security of the people.

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Twitter: @MachariaGaitho