It’s time the government focused on its mandate

There have been many spats between government and the opposition, the latest one being the matter of land allocations along the Kenyan coast.

Accusations and counter-accusations have been made, and the exchanges have reached ridiculous levels that are hard to find outside of kindergarten classrooms.

It has gotten so nasty that the two formations are trading accusations over who is more corrupt than the other, and service to Kenyans is suffering as a result.

The government side has shouted itself hoarse, asking the opposition to give them time and space to fulfill their campaign promises and constitutional mandates.

The opposition, on the other hand, accuses the government of leading the country in the wrong direction, and is supposedly organising the country for a referendum to address a multitude of issues.

To an observer, it would appear that if we are not already there, this country is headed for a dangerous impasse. Split down the middle, each half of the country believes that their leaders are right and the other half of the country is dead wrong.

All statements are analysed for political angles based on the assumed ethnicity of the author, and dismissed or accepted unconditionally without due regard to the content.

There must be a way out of this quagmire that ensures the entire country emerges as the winner.

MAKE IT DIFFICULT

What we need to appreciate is that it is the opposition’s role and responsibility to make it difficult for the ruling coalition to govern.

It is in their best interests to demonstrate that those in power are failures, and that the opposition has better ideas on governance. They will use every trick in the book to convince the voters that they would be better off if they voted differently at an election.

On the other hand, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure the country continues running as smoothly as possible.

The ruling coalition must ensure they deliver on their constitutional responsibilities at the minimum and implement their election manifesto as promised to the voters as well.

At the very least, the government must ensure all citizens enjoy the protection of the state, are well fed and educated, and are, to a large extent, as healthy as is possible under the circumstances.

Beyond these basic requirements, a responsible, growth-focused government will make it easy for the citizens to communicate and move goods and services without undue obstacles.

With these minimum guarantees, it is often unnecessary for any further interventions to be carried out by the state. The people will take care of the rest, and the economy will grow of its own accord.

One would therefore advise both the opposition and the government to focus on their core mandates and the country will be just fine.

The opposition must begin to generate alternative governance ideas even as it keeps the government on toes, while the government should stop wasting our precious national resources fighting fires that will in the fullness of time burn out without much damage to the fabric of state.

Indeed, it can be observed that the inept attempts at fire-fighting only serve to further inflame the situation, giving the opposition more and more ammunition for escalating tensions.

That, in my view, is a good example of how not to run a government. Unless our political class changes tack, we will continue politicking endlessly beyond 2017.

Dr Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer at Moi University’s School of Medicine. [email protected]