It’s same pledges in different words

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto address wananchi at Kiunyu during the Jubilee Party's tour of Murang'a County on June 21, 2017. PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Jubilee’s manifesto is centred on national cohesion, security, arts, sports and culture, and health besides infrastructural projects.

  • Nasa’s seven-pillar policy platform focuses on national reconciliation and healing; resolving historical injustices; and realising equality for women, youth, persons with disabilities and disadvantaged communities.

  • They must judge Jubilee’s promises on the basis of what it has done or not done in the last four years they have been in power.

  • Nasa must also be judged based on the past actions of its top leadership, as they have all also held senior government positions in the past.

“Words can be twisted into any shape. Promises can be made to lull the heart and seduce the soul. In the final analysis, words mean nothing. Examine his actions. Judge him by them.” – Karen Marie Moning, American author

On May 16, the National Gender and Equality Commission released a draft report on the mapping of ethnic minorities and marginalised communities.

The mapping was meant to provide clarity for government programming, policy development and interventions in all the 47 counties.

As the country walks towards the August 8 General Election, marginalised communities must think with their brains as opposed to their hearts when deciding which political party has their best interests at heart.

MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES

But what are the parties promising marginalised communities?

The elections are essentially a contest between Jubilee Party and the National Super Alliance (Nasa).

Both have placed “development” at the centre of their political campaigns and their respective manifestos promise goodies to the marginalised communities.

Jubilee’s manifesto is centred on national cohesion, security, arts, sports and culture, and health besides infrastructural projects.

Jubilee has outlined what it has been able to do in the past four years through the portal https://www.delivery.go.ke.

TEACHNICAL KNOW-HOW

The majority of those belonging to marginalised communities may never visit the portal for lack of technical know-how.

It, therefore, rests upon the few educated individuals from those communities to inform and educate their kith and kin.

However, over the past few months, Jubilee has traversed marginalised communities’ areas with a list of development projects and local persons it has given senior government jobs to.

MERE PROPAGANDA

Nasa has dismissed Jubilee claims as mere propaganda and has made its own promises to these communities.

Nasa’s seven-pillar policy platform focuses on national reconciliation and healing; resolving historical injustices; and realising equality for women, youth, persons with disabilities and disadvantaged communities.

It is promising to reserve 30 per cent of public positions for the minorities and to raise from 15 per cent to 45 per cent the budgetary allocation to the counties, as a way of empowering marginalised communities.

FULFILMENT

But as they say, a promise is a cloud but the fulfilment is the rain.

Close analyses of the two sets of promises reveal no major differences.

Both Jubilee and Nasa are promising the same things in different words.

Both promise inclusivity, addressing historical injustices and the protection of marginalised communities.

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

Both also promise infrastructure projects such as roads, hospitals and electricity in marginalised communities’ territories.

Both pledge to support, promote and facilitate devolution.

The promises aren’t unique or new, as the Constitution spells them out.

The parties are only verbalising the Constitution.

STRENGTH

It behoves marginalised communities to judge both Jubilee and Nasa on the strength of their leaders’ ability to deliver based on past actions.

They must judge Jubilee’s promises on the basis of what it has done or not done in the last four years they have been in power.

Nasa must also be judged based on the past actions of its top leadership, as they have all also held senior government positions in the past.

Arguably, the first point of reference should naturally be a thorough look at whom the parties are nominating into the various political leadership positions.

NOMINATION LISTS

Do marginalised communities see themselves in the party nomination lists into the National Assembly, senate or even county assemblies?

What we are seeing is the stretching of the term “marginalised communities” to include sections of Kenyans who are not marginalised despite the Constitution clearly qualifying marginalisation with the inability to fully participate in the integrated social and economic life of Kenya as a whole.

As marginalised communities decide their political future, they must reflect on the words of American TV personality, actor and playwright Joe Moore: “You can’t trust a promise someone makes while they’re drunk, in love, hungry, or running for office.”

 

Dr Sena is Kenya advocacy officer, Minority Rights Group, lecturer in the Faculty of Law, Egerton University and member of the African Commission Working Group on Indigenous Populations.  [email protected]