BBI, Big Four agenda best weapons against poverty
In a nation wracked by adversarial politics, an ailing economy and the threat of social collapse, the danger of citizens being condemned to a life of poverty and misery is a stark reality.
This ominous scenario portrays the current situation where politicians are at a crescendo in their endless game of succession politics to the detriment of millions of Kenyans reeling under the crushing weight of economic hardships.
It has been a painful lesson since independence balancing the pressing social and economic needs of the people against the often-pervasive interests of the political class, despite the many glorified national development plans, lofty ideals and constitutional obligations professed pompously.
What this means is that millions of citizens, who form the most significant segment of the population are always relegated to the periphery, subservient to the whims of the minority who control the instruments of power and the strings to the purse of national development.
Those familiar with this disturbing narrative that has left a debilitating effect on the national political, social and economic fabric will recall the famous quote by the then Nyandarua North JM Kariuki that “Kenya is a land of ten millionaires and ten million beggars”.
These words that ring true today and have probably been magnified tenfold since they were expressed 40 years ago.
We have reached a crisis point and must retrace our roots back to reclaim the rights of the people and rededicate efforts to curb poverty that has taken a heavy toll on our society.
Fortunately, the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) offers hope of healing and reconciliation to correct the political and economic imbalances that have dismembered nationhood, bred corruption and economic stagnation and contributed to social decay.
Complementing BBI in constructing structures of good governance is the Big Four agenda that can help realign development priorities to the most pressing needs of the citizenry – reducing poverty, job creation for the youth, food security and addressing the housing problem.
The Big Four agenda must be ingrained in the final BBI document and ratified in a referendum to achieve the objectives for which it was conceived.
It should not be perceived merely as a legacy project of President Uhuru Kenyatta, but a lasting programme to consolidate the national development agenda.
Its pillars conform to the UN sustainable development goals, the World Bank and Kenya Vision 2030 goals which seek to end extreme poverty by 2030. Missing Agenda 2030 targets will spell doom for millions.
At the current pace of implementation, the chances of achieving these goals are remote. There is need for the national conversation to prioritise the entrenchment in the statutes clear provisions to uplift citizens from the clutches of poverty.
Drafters of Kenya’s next constitutional dispensation need to reconcile efforts towards national cohesion with resilient capacity to protect hard-won development gains threatened by political skullduggery, corruption, frequent humanitarian and economic crises and the growing challenges of climate change.
In acknowledging the interconnectivity of economic, social and environmental dimensions of development, the political class must put the interest of the ordinary people first.
Drawing lessons from the missed opportunities of the past, discussions revolving around BBI must leave no one behind.
The steering committee has to adopt an integrated multi-sectoral approach that includes civil society, faith-based organisations and total public participation from the grassroots for a successful outcome of the task for which it was established. — [email protected]
