Former cabinet minister and MP for Kathiani had an interesting encounter with his constituents in the run up to the 1997 general elections.
At an impromptu meeting at a trading center Retired General Jackson Mulinge tried to reason with the people he had represented for two terms bringing the sort of development in the constituency that had never been seen from all other previous MPs put together. In the Kamba language he counted off his fingers the things he had done for them.
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He started with the many roads in the constituency that he had used his influence with Moi to have constructed. There was a deafening reply from the people; "Osa." In Kamba that means "Take It." The people were asking him to take his roads back, pack and leave. They were no longer interested in him being their MP.
The general could not believe his ears. So he mentioned another development project in the constituency, but the same deafening reply came; "Osa!!!" The general's list was long and every time he mentioned an item the reply from a section of his constituents was the same.
It was therefore not surprising when the general lost the elections that year to a political nobody and upstart, Kyalo Kaindi who is still the Kathiani MP to this day having served two solid terms. However people on the ground have assured this blogger that Kaindi is going home although unlike Mulinge, he has nothing to take with him in terms of development achieved at the constituency. Interestingly word on the street has it that the general ha sponsored a certain popular teacher who will be the candidate to beat. For Kathiani constituents, I will be following up that story and will bring it to you here in the near future.
But what I wanted to say is that humans hardly reason when it comes to general elections. Many candidates with excellent development records, or at least with better records that their opponents have lost elections.
The incumbent President Mwai Kibaki, during the labour day made a major announcement that literally affects each and every Kenyan and millions of voters. He announced that tution would be scraped in high schools from the beginning of next year. The message to Kenyans appears to be clear. If you want your children to be educated free in High Schools, then you know whom to vote for.
It is a very brave thing the president has done. Probably one of the bravest things he has ever done in his long political career. It also shows how anxious and keen the president is to avoid the dubious distinction of being Kenya's first one term president.
But the big question is, is it enough to see him safely back in State House.
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A good idea has no owner and the announcement to scrap tuition fees in secondary school is as good as they come. ODM baby-cry antics won't wash and Kenyans must evaluate the credibility and hoesty of the announcement in due course of time. But that ends the goodies and starts the painful retrospection of what prompted the announcemnts and the wider objectives. Come December and they must punish (or remotely reward) deception serverely.
ReplyDeleteKibaki is right to expand secondary education in anticipation of floods of free primary school graduates. Granted, the idea may be one of those flicks that starts elasting fires of prosperity. But its sustainability is another matter all together.
My prayer is that we don't witness grandiose pronouncements that are shamelessly and cheaply spewed with eyes singularly trained on our votes. If that be the case then we already have one foot on the petal headed into the doldrums. In that case the next 5 years will see ugali promoted from its staple status to being an Xmas gift.
I just hope the cummulative effects of the development statistics bandied around will vacate the Nairobi selves and trickle down fast to my granny in the village.
Education is a key pillar to any country aspiring to develop and any substantial change in education policy must be scientifically founded. We are still reeling from Moi's madness clothed as populism in his hasty introduction of 8-4-4 which is overtly and covertly playing havoc in fostering tribal hostility (save me your rants if you haven't seen village geniuses carrying their weights on campus oblivious of others' sensitivities).
I hope I am wrong but I fear I am right that all these are campaign gimmicks, pure and simple. But as they say a day in politics is like forever and if these freebies continue flowing then December is the month of reckoning. The balderdash of 'if its working don't fix' is only evident to those with stanted expectation premised on Moi's benchmark. We haven't seen anything yet. Hawa ndio wale and Kenya is speedily rolling down hill while gathering no moral, econimic or social moss.
I understand how you feel, and it'd be rather sad if this turns out to be just political gimmick. However, I think free secondary education is a HUGE boost to millions of kids in Kenya. Ask any kid who could not get high school education due to lack of money and they'll tell you. Ask me even, for the time I lost at home for lack of money. I have my own reservations, that it's going to drive down quality like it has done in primary schools, but lets face it, half a loaf is better than none!
ReplyDeleteAs for whether it'll guarantee votes, YES, HOW NOT? You saw how free primary education did it a few years ago. It's been done. Much as I'm not campaigning for Kibaki because he is old, yote yawezekana.
I think any politician with access to a microphone and millions of needy Kenyans in front of him can say anything to guarantee votes, and that's not so different from what you do here.
But I want fair play in Kenyan politics. Free primary and secondary (did Ngilu say free healthcare?) and all is good, but Kenyans, think why you want to vote for who you want!