Uhuruto: Strengths And Weaknesses Going Into 2017 polls

Uhuruto; pluses and minuses

 The problem with Kenyan politics is that the vast majority of analysis and views are always tightly based on which side of the divide one is clinging to politically. It is very rare to get a balanced honest view that is not tribal based.

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Anyway let us attempt to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the JUBILEE government which came into power in 2013 and is set to return to the people to seek another five year term sometime in 2017.

Strengths;

Efficiency
There is no doubt that the Uhuruto government has been one of the most efficient governments since Independence (if not the most efficient). Like them or not, the truth of the matter is that this government gets things done. The fact that the same government has also instigated the highest injection of young talent into government since Independence definitely has a lot to do with this welcome efficiency.

Benefits to the wananchi have been numerous. Probably the most visible is the Huduma centre project which has made it possible for folks to get things done in a fraction of the time it previously took trekking from one government office to another.

Security 
A few months into the Uhuruto administration the country went through a series of terrorist attacks by al Shabaab militants. You could literally smell the fear in the air. Sadly this had a major impact on tourist arrivals which we are yet to fully recover from. However credit has to go to Uhuruto for fixing this. Admittedly this security issue is something they inherited from the previous Kibaki regime. The fixing was done mainly by tapping into the skills and experience of military men starting with the appointment of a politician from the opposition who also happens to be an ex-soldier, Joseph Nkaissery.

Today terror attacks are a thing of the past and the few incidences we still hear of are always close to the border with Somalia. The improvement in security has been nothing short of dramatic.

Reached out to areas that did not vote JUBILEE
Kudos to the duo for the major efforts that have been made to reach out to areas that are a stronghold of the opposition. One could argue that the motive here was selfish and aimed at weakening the opposition for the next general elections. However we have also seen what previous governments have done and the policy and attitude to areas that did not vote for them. Right from the Moi years to the Kibaki years. And so credit has to be given to Uhuruto for behaving maturely and nationally... as they should.


Weaknesses;

Corruption
No prizes for guessing what has to be number one in terms of weaknesses of the Uhuruto regime. Corruption. Corruption. Corruption. The amounts of cash in public funds that has been lost is crazily high. No doubt the opposition will cash in on this single most obvious weakness when the campaigns begin.

Tribalism
In this day and age I am ashamed to mention the fact that tribalism is alive and well and has been very much alive and well in the Uhuruto government. We have qualified folks from most of the other tribes of Kenya who can also be loyal to the government of the day. Why have they always been ignored? Why should a deserving Kenyan lose an opportunity because they are the "wrong tribe"?

Spin
The spin machine within State house has been putting a spin to all kinds of nasty truths. And at times they have had very little regard for the facts or truth of the matter. There is nothing wrong painting a government in good light, it is done all over the world. However hii yao imekua excess.

My score to Uhuruto is a generous 40% (they have not totally failed. And they have NOT attained a pass mark either. Not good enough for Kenyans I have to say.