New government must assure of better days ahead
The newly installed government of President William Ruto is transitioning to entrench his administration. Soon all the Cabinet Secretaries will be in place, followed by the Permanent Secretaries. If some people have their way then the courts will have a say on whether Cabinet Administrative Secretaries will be installed as well.
The public is holding its breath as to what the new administration portends. The exuberance of the campaigns is giving way to a wait-and-see situation while looking for pointers to the government’s intentions.
The majority of the faces joining the administration at the Cabinet Secretary level are known quantities that have been in politics and can easily be weighed. The government is going back on some of the pronouncements made on the campaign trail.
Portions of the much-vilified BBI are quietly being implemented. The position of Chief Cabinet Secretary, akin to the Prime Minister that had been touted in the BBI is now firmly in place. Nobody really expected that the average individual was going to make it to the cabinet. Government policies will tell whether the hustler agenda is being pursued, and that has to wait until the government is fully in place. It appears that the Hustler Fund promised on the campaign trail is in the process of being panel beaten into shape.
While the technical work of forming the government is in place, the equally critical task of managing public expectations has hardly taken off. The pronouncements of those coming into the office are one of lamenting the state of the nation pointing out just how bad things were.
But the public may soon lose interest in the lamentations. It could as well be said that it was precise because the public did not approve of the direction that the nation was taking which led them to elect the new government and, therefore, the new government should get on with the task of governing.
The interest of the public, however, is on the critical humdrum life reflected in the cost of living. The government pronounced itself loudly on this during the campaign to the extent of indicating not only how the cost of living was going to come down, but to the specifics of what the cost of some commodities was going to be.
The main commodities on which the prices were set to come down included fuel, flour, and milk among other commodities. So far, nothing tangible has happened on this front. This may soon lead to public agitation that the prices should come down a little faster. The reality is that since some of these commodities are in the hands of private enterprises, they may not come down by much.
The President will need to forcibly give hope to the nation that a better day lies ahead. This is an urgent task. Hopeful people may be able to endure difficulties as long as they know that their circumstances will change in due course. Hope is not necessarily tied to the provision of services, but visible signs that government is understanding is listening to the people and has a plan in place to make a difference.
In the immediate season after the nation’s independence, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta gave stirring speeches many of which nurtured the heart of the young nation. There was always hope in the uprisings and militancy of the student leaders and an opposition that was relentless in the middle of the political oppression of the second administration.
That hope has not been stirred up recent. The immediate former administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta was good at laying down concrete and mortar. The government-built roads, dams, and ports across the country, but failed to carry the people to identify with these contributions to national infrastructure.
This is an urgent task that the government must execute now – simply give hope to the nation, give the country a reason to believe that tomorrow will be a better day. Hopelessness could lead to a restless country.
— The writer is the dean, School of Communication, Daystar University
