Reading from wishes of many, happy tidings belong to government
Being the quintessential politician that he is, President William Ruto must have been pleased with the new year wishes expressed by Kenyans that this newspaper spoke to last Friday.
More than 90 per cent of those quoted pinned their 2023 happiness on the expectation of the government fulfilling one wish or another. This is pleasing stuff for a leader keen to entrench big government in every way.
The wishes range from the hope for an improved economy, availability of more and better jobs, implementation of initiatives to keep the youth busy, for the government to keep its promises to lower taxes, for the government to end banditry in the northern part of the country, for government to roll out projects to support women at the grassroots, for the restoration of subsidies on school fees, etc.
Very few wished for better and more reliable rainfall to enable them to harvest water for irrigation; for more opportunities to do business because the country is secure and business-friendly; or for lasting peace among pastoral communities. None wished for breakthroughs in local science to foster the more efficient provision of health to larger populations, or that universities could be facilitated to conduct more relevant research to help us improve our agriculture and food security.
The difference between the first school of thought and the second is that the first has generally surrendered (or in this case never really had) the capacity to transition from worry about basic survival that in this case is supposed to be guaranteed by the almighty institution called government. If the government does not give or ordain that it be done, it will not be. The people are in charge of nothing – yet every five years, they are persuaded that they really are the kingmakers.
Exploit opportunities
The second school of thought implies that the basics have been taken care of and citizens are looking to exploit opportunities that exist for them to apply their creativity, industry and intellect to generate material, intellectual and creative outputs that proclaim discernible progress in the way people express themselves, consume, interact among themselves and with nature.
In the latter reality, the government is a facilitator. Powerful it may be but overbearing it will not be. It will generally be accountable unless it is rogue. Taxes will be high but citizens will pay them as they can appreciate what those taxes are used for – securing the citizenry, building and rehabilitating infrastructure, investing and supporting education and research, and staking the country’s claim on relevance at the international forums determining the future survival of humanity at all levels.
Give handouts
Kenyans are asking the government to continue micromanaging their lives. Continue building schools, and give subsidies so that more and more learners are dependent on government handouts. It means giving more money to MPs through the Constituency Development Fund and further entrenching the dependency syndrome.
They want subsidies on products like petrol to remain and those on agricultural inputs like fertiliser to stay and be enhanced. They want police and paramilitary units to forcibly subdue unrest in the northern parts of the country without necessarily addressing the root causes of the problems, etc.
They are, in a word, looking for band-aid solutions that provide temporary relief rather than long-term solutions that have a real and lasting impacts.
Our government will be happy to oblige where it can because the asks do not require the heavy lifting necessitating structural changes, significant reallocation of resources, rethinking education and its funding, tackling wastage, laziness and corruption in public service, etc. The one thing that it will do is to be almost manic in enforcing taxation measures to collect even more revenue.
What it will not do – like retaining subsidies on petrol – will not bother it as it also knows that the worst punishment it will suffer is soft reprimands in Parliament and ineffectual criticism from analysts and commentators.
Already, the government is working on a three trillion-plus budget for 2023-2024 that promises to maintain the same fiscal trajectory – borrow more even as you tax more. It is not looking to go tough on corruption, and neither does it look like it will reset manufacturing and agriculture to create employment and secure Kenyans from hunger. It is not facilitating devolution with the enthusiasm and seriousness required of it and it is making unsettling moves on tertiary and university education.
Its attitude, even in these early days of the new government, promises that it will not be stressing itself to provide too much and it seems that at least for 2023, the wishes of most Kenyans won’t be putting too much pressure on the government. This assures the government a very happy new year. BY DAILY NATION
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