This year is almost ending. A week from today, we shall be back on the conveyor belt of hustles and bad politics. But 2023 has been uneventful—development-wise.
The latest Auditor-General’s Report on counties shows little to next money went to development projects. As usual, the Council of Governors (CoG) has come out guns blazing in support of its members; that is, the county governors.
Development is tangible and every eye in Kenya, not just the Auditor-General’s, should see this if it were that glaring.
CoG should be aware that their legal and fiduciary duties lie with the voters, not governors. It is their responsibility to hold to account their members who are flouting the rules and squandering taxpayers’ money.
My first wish on leadership is, hopefully, to get visionary leaders who can truly see the suffering of Kenyans and help to alleviate their hardship and improve lives. Not to have to wait for donor communities to save their voters from perennial flooding and drought but plan for the eventualities. The less money is spent on development, they are bound to occur again.
The excuse of climate change is just a cop out. I am not a climate change denier. Far from it. But incompetent governments that have done little to improve infrastructure will find it easier to blame it on rising sea levels and bursting rivers in low-lying areas like the Tana delta. I grew up at the Kenyan coast and heavy Monsoon rain is the order of the day. It never rains; it pours.
Stolen funds cannot build or improve on drainage systems. Neither would haphazard town planning that comes without consideration for drainage facilities, especially in small islands such as Mombasa.
My second wish is to have a justice system with the wherewithal to find missing monies. If corruption culprits drawn largely from cabinet secretaries and other senior government officials are innocent of theft despite having their fingers in the ‘honey’ pots, somebody must have stolen the money either way and it would be great to have a system with integrity to trace the money and return it to taxpayers.
Money has no legs; it takes human ingenuity to move it from point A to B—whether physically in sacks or through sophisticated wire transfers into offshore bank accounts.
If the stolen money has not gone up in smoke, it should be sitting in a bank somewhere or some other hideout and it is upon agencies such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Authority (EACC) to trace and recover it. A minister not found guilty of corruption does not answer the question of who exactly is the thief and where the money has gone.
Auditor-General’s Reports are making life easier for the prosecution and EACC to trace the funds and it is my wish that they will do due diligence and recoup the loot, whether the ‘big fish’ are jailed on not.
My third wish is to have a humble leadership that will tread gently and speak softly to address injustice and inequality. One that won’t brag about expensive houses and designer gears and show off in that fuel guzzler bought with the missing money but proud to focus on development that will benefit voters.
My last wish is for brave and confident voters who will stand up against injustice and their rights. One that would not be bamboozled by their MPs’ blings but have the courage to challenge their failure to address poor services. One that won’t hesitate to petition and recall a politician who fails to deliver on their promises, is thuggish in behaviour, corrupt or a law breaker.
My wishes are to Father Christmas, of course. The bearded fat white man in a red coat will most likely make my wishes come true. I know he will, as he comes disguised as the donor community, World Bank and IMF. Even the African Father Christmas expects to be rescued as those elected to rescue him only think of their stomachs.
It is, nonetheless, my prayer that 2024 will see less dependence on aid and debt. That the taxes being overzealously collected will be prudently used to bring about development and positive change to the voters. That the common mwananchi, too, can afford designer items and better homes. That it will be a year that will pioneer the age of better leadership, accountability and respect for the rule of law.
By the time you read this article, Christmas will be upon us. This is to wish you a merry one and a prosperous, peaceful and happy New Year. Hoping your wishes for a better country will be answered in 2024 and you—the ordinary, hardworking Kenyan—looks forward to a brighter future with no power cuts and with taps full of clean running water. A life of abundance is yours as it is for those you voted for. You deserve nothing less but the best.
