Protesters calling for government reforms on Moi Avenue in Nairobi on July 16, 2024.
Out with 2024, in with 2025. Just unpacked is a year starting on a Wednesday. This was last seen in 2014, and it will happen next in 2031.
And just like the fireworks that lit up the skies to celebrate one more trip around the sun, some Kenyans are bursting with hope despite the drawbacks they are facing.
But they are in the minority, according to an opinion poll’s results released by Infotrak on New Year’s eve, which showed that only 30 per cent of Kenyans hope for a better 2025.
According to the poll, the top four issues in December that inform the gloomy outlook are the cost of living, unemployment, corruption and over-taxation.
Those with a pessimistic outlook feel Kenya’s economy will get worse in 2025. They also fear they may not get jobs and that there will be a drought, among other reasons.
To inject more optimism, thought leaders from various sectors expounded on what could brighten the prospects of Kenyans in the year that will mark a quarter century since the beginning of the millennium.
Reverend Elias Otieno Agola, the chairman of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), Maendeleo ya Wanawake National Chairperson Rahab Mwikali Muiu, economist XN Iraki and former Nyamira Senator and lawyer Kennedy Mong’are Okong’o, in separate interviews with the Nation, explained what could inspire hope.
Inevitably, the need to stop abductions featured prominently in their insights. According to Dr Agola, the political class should “do more listening than talking”.
“It should be a year when they implement a lot rather than do a lot of promising. The promises have been there, and some of them have been very good promises. But the action is not as loud as the talking,” said the NCCK boss.
He advised President William Ruto to make use of his Cabinet and principal secretaries.
“He should stop at being a vision-caster and then tasking the people that he has entrusted with his vision to do the communication about that vision. It is not him to cascade the vision downwards. It is his footsoldiers, whom we are paying as taxpayers,” he said.
“The president needs to take advice from his advisers, not turn out to be advising his advisers,” added Rev Agola.
“You cannot call on me to advise you and then after I have advised you, you discard all the things that I have told you.”
If the trend of abducting government critics ends, he said, then the year will be brighter.
“People will always critique you. But you don’t need to use uncouth ways to deal with that. You don’t need to use extreme approaches to deal with your critics. And children will always be children. The (President) should look for a better way of dealing with the young people. Abductions and suppressing the freedom of speech is not the way. And that takes us back to the dark ages of the Nyayo era,” said Rev Agola.
He also had a message for Kenyans: “Likewise, citizens need to refrain from extreme irresponsible attacks on leaders on digital platforms. All leaders must be treated with utmost respect, regardless of divergence in opinions. Let us all be responsible leaders and citizens who champion for a better Kenya.”
Rev Agola said Kenyans should keep working hard.
“Kenyans should continue to concentrate on that small world they live in, because if somebody cannot change your world, then it is you to change it,” he said. “Let’s not relent. Let’s not step back. Let’s continue to work hard as Kenyans, regardless of what is happening. But for us leaders, at our levels, we will continue to push the government to ensure that service delivery is given to the people, because these people are paying their taxes.”
In 2024, there were at least 82 reported cases of abduction, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. In the recent wave of abductions, at least seven young Kenyans were abducted after making social media posts deemed distasteful to President Ruto. They are Gideon Kibet, Ronny Kiplagat, Steve Kavingo Mbisi, Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli and Kelvin Muthoni.
The Maendeleo ya Wanawake boss, on her part, said the law enforcers should think and act as parents.
“I ask them: if it was your only child, how would you handle it? How would you hit them? How would you throw them into that truck? As you do it to somebody’s child, ask yourself, if it was being done to your child, how would you like it?” Ms Muiu said.
She went on: “For any woman who has given birth, it is a very sad story. We are calling on the President to bring an end to this conversation. He has the power, this is his country, this is his nation, all the security apparatus is under him. Your excellency sir, please bring this to an end. You promised when you were in Homa Bay. I watched you live myself, and I was happy to hear your commitment. Sir, please, bring this to an end. No mother wants to give birth and see their child go through this. We also call on the children to be law-abiding so that, then, we are not calling on one thing from the government and then we are also not calling on our children.”
Ms Muiu also hoped that the femicide trajectory will change in 2025—in 2024, at least 100 women were killed between August and November alone. She further hoped that defilement issues will be addressed, citing a report that 4,360 girls aged between 10 and 19 were impregnated in Meru County between January and May this year.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done by all of us. Parents really need to be able to give time to their children,” said Ms Muiu.
For Prof Iraki, the year will be worth celebrating if there are good rains, which will translate to more food production.
“Kenyans should hope for good rains. That is a better antidote for inflation and growth than government policies,” he said. “We hope external forces like Covid-19 or wars will not upset our economy.”
The economics lecturer also hopes that political temperatures will cool, and Kenyans will continue looking at the bright side of things.
“We hope our wells of optimism will not run dry,” he said.
Mr Okong’o, the Nyamira senator between 2013 and 2017, said this year can be brighter for Kenyans if Dr Ruto addresses the challenges facing them.
“Has not really got the stability on the steering wheel. Despite the fact that he has marshalled collaborators in the political realm, there are huge challenges,” said Mr Okong’o.
“If (the country’s challenges) are not very well addressed by service delivery, then we might have a year of political realignments, machinations and demonstrations, which will really kill the Kenya Kwanza agenda,” he said.
ODM leader Raila Odinga’s fate in the African Union Commission chairmanship race will also have a huge bearing on how the year turns out, Mr Okong’o opined, “because he has had huge influence”.
Overall, the former lawmaker said Kenyans are very resilient. If the government observes constitutionalism and irons out the problems with the Social Health Authority, then it will be smooth-sailing.
“People will be doing their things and allow the government to do its work until they meet in 2027. But if those issues are not addressed, we might have a dull situation. However, Kenyans are very sober people. It’s the government to realign itself,” observed Mr Okong’o.
Another thing worth looking forward to is the stability of the shilling, and Rev Agola was glad that its value against the dollar has been stable.
“We are not doing badly because for the dollar to remain at 129 for about three months, that is a sign of some hope. I believe there are some good things that can happen. But for me, I fault the government in communication. You may be having a very good strategy, a very good vision, a very good plan for your people. But if this is not communicated, then it will meet opposition. And I think that is where we are now,” said Rev Agola.
In 2025, Kenyans will be hoping for a reconstituted Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. The increased agitation of Kenya’s youth for better governance will also be a defining factor, as new political movements rise out of their efforts.
Reporting by Charles Mwaniki, Samwel Owino, Geoffrey Anene, David Muchunguh and Leon Lidigu.
