What voters expect in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto
The season for launching party manifestos is here again and Kenyans should scrutinize the documents to ensure they reflect their needs and aspirations. The beauty and proof of any pudding are in the eating. In the past, Kenyans have been given colourful manifestos which were long in promises but very scanty on details and implementation roadmaps.
The Azimio-One Kenya manifesto, for example, gave very good general proposals on how to address various issues but was mean with suggestions on implementation.
As Kenya Kwanza supporters and Kenyans, in general, await today’s launch of the coalition manifesto, there are a few things that stand out about the way it has been created. These include wide consultations with every county and sector, leading to the signing of various charters.
Inclusivity has been very pronounced in the entire process. Various groups such as women, people with disability, manufacturers, health workers, university dons, the youth and many others have been consulted in the manifesto writing. There is great expectation, therefore, that the Kenya Kwanza manifesto will address the following areas:
Employment and Equity: The number of unemployed youth and wealth distribution gap have been growing at a very high rate. If this is not addressed urgently, it can take us to a tipping point which will lead to increased crime and anarchy.
Kenya Kwanza manifesto should explain how employment will be created and provide measurable milestones. It should also address how the wealth gap will be bridged.
Second is Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs: The creativity and productivity of this sector is sometimes mind-boggling. If well harnessed, it can lead to significant wealth and employment creation for a struggling economy such as ours. We expect Kenya Kwanza to tell us how they will fund the MSMEs and at what interest. They should also clearly explain how they will expand markets.
Agriculture: This has been the backbone of our economy since independence. The sector, however, does not give value for many to the farmers due to exploitation at various levels. Cash crop and horticulture farming can be improved through value addition and protection from middlemen.
Almost 90 per cent of the nation’s milk production comes from small-scale dairy farmers. The dairy industry is faced with various challenges, including high cost of milk production, high cost of collection per unit of milk, low quality of raw milk delivered to the milk processor, low quality feeds and feeding systems, dairy animal genetics with low productivity, poor animal husbandry, and poor management of dairy marketing systems among others.
It is hoped Kenya Kwanza will address the issue of agricultural support in areas such as market linkages, value addition, protection from brokers, provision of quality seeds, fertilisers, agro-chemicals and extension services at affordable prices.
On the other hand, the Kenya Kwanza presidential running mate Rigathi Gachagua has regularly been talking about the re-introduction of Guaranteed Minimum Returns (GMR) system which would be a game changer for farmers. The issue of zoning regions to encourage growth of crops that fit and maximise productivity per acre should also be considered.
Regarding education, this is a core human rights issue and any government should pay premium attention to it. The country embarked on providing free basic education since 2003. This, however, brought many problems such as student-teacher ratio, classroom shortage among others hence compromising quality of education. We expect Kenya Kwanza to explain how they will reduce student-teacher ratio to the level recommended by Unesco. They should also tell us how new classrooms will be built, children fed, security will be provided and continuous teachers training will be achieved.
On gender parity, the 2010 Constitution gave guidelines on how this can be achieved. However, the last two Parliaments have failed the nation by not creating laws to address the two-thirds gender rule. Kenyans have high expectations that Kenya Kwanza manifesto will explain on how this issue will be resolved.
The high cost and poor quality of healthcare has impoverished many people and in many cases led to premature deaths. Kenyans want a health system that is reliable, predictable and affordable. They want an assurance that good medical services will be available all and Kenya Kwanza has to guarantee this.
Another unavoidable challenge that begs for solution is the cost of basic commodities. Although there has been arguments this has been caused by the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, any responsible government should always be sensitive to the plight of its people. Kenyans want to hear how runaway prices of food, fuel, farm implements among other things will be addressed. Kenya Kwanza should give details of how the perennial food shortage will be addressed.
I hope they hear me.
— The writer is a lecturer at the School of Business, Africa Nazarene University
