President Uhuru Kenyatta should obey court orders, pay teachers and put sense into the heads of legislators Moses Kuria, Aden Duale, Kithure Kindiki, Kipchumba Murkomen and the 36 bloggers!

These are some of the recommendations by Kenyans on Twitter well known as #KOT regarding the downward spiral the country is in and as President Uhuru Kenyatta celebrates his 54th birthday.

In the usual #KOT style, there were no hard feelings but just a call on the head of state to have the country back on track.

And on a lighter note:

Others felt that health matters deserved the president’s attention.

Others had political advice as well.

Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi said,

One thought that maybe the president needed to be reminded of his horoscope.

These calls on the president come as runaway corruption, skewed tendering processes leading to massive losses of public resources and a leadership that seems immune to Kenyans’ calls for improved service delivery continue impoverishing citizens.

From what has been a muted debate for over a year now, Kenyans are speaking out loudly against corruption and non-performance by a bloated governance system. Instead of devolution working for Kenyans, it seems to be working against them by increasing the burden on the taxpayer but having nothing to show for all the billions being released by Treasury every year.

President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta (R) greets his supporters with his running mate, William Ruto after attending a news conference in Nairobi on March 9, 2013. The two have been indicted by Kenyans for not doing enough to fight corruption. [Photo: REUTERS/Siegfried Modola]

President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta (R) greets his supporters with his running mate, William Ruto after attending a news conference in Nairobi on March 9, 2013. The two have been indicted by Kenyans for not doing enough to fight corruption. [Photo: REUTERS/Siegfried Modola]


Also, in what seems to be a breach of Jubilee government’s manifesto before their 2013 elections, most of the pledges have not been honored.

In what the manifesto calls ‘The Third Pillar of the Coalition: Openness (Uwazi)’ on page 63 it says,

“The Coalition believes in a new brand of politics; one where the national interest is placed above personal gain or tribal advantage. We are committed to fostering an open, tolerant, forward-looking Kenya with modern institutions that serve the people rather than narrow sectional interests. We are dedicated to implementing the new constitution quickly and effectively, as it is the paramount guarantor of the peoples’ rights and freedoms. Besides, power must be decentralized from Nairobi to the 47 new counties, bringing it closer to the people so that they can hold those who take decisions about their day-to-day lives to account.”

However, this seems to have been thrown under the bus and now Kenyans feel that the government is failing this country fast.

On corruption, the manifesto talks of cleaning up the mess on page 64 thus:

  • “The Coalition Government will: Give the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) the power to prosecute corruption cases as happens in other African countries.

  • Set up local anti-corruption boards at county level with the power to refer cases to the EACC or to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

  • Ban anyone convicted on corruption charges from working in Government, in any public sector job.

  • Enact the necessary legislation so that Kenyan companies found guilty of corrupt practices will be liable to have their assets frozen by the courts.

  • Ban foreign companies found guilty of corrupt practices from operating in Kenya.

  • Introduce an automatic freeze on the assets of anyone indicted on corruption charges (with appropriate judicial approval).

  • Introduce the automatic suspension of any official indicted on corruption charges.

  • Put an end to Parliamentary immunity from corruption charges.”

But apart from being good on paper, nothing much has been done to assure Kenyans that corruption is being fought wholeheartedly by the two Jubilee leaders at the helm of steering the country forward. It is an indictment of a government that got into power on the promise that it would restore the confidence of Kenyans in public institution and governance.

And with the mystery surrounding the much acclaimed Eurobond success, corruption seems to be getting out of hand.

With such, good governance which the Jubilee Coalition promised Kenyans may just be another pipe dream.

Will these shortfalls by the government cause Kenyans to vote in issue-based politics or will it remain the tribal push for our man at the top?