Environmentalist Dr Isaack Kalua Green has founded the Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP). The party is set to hold its inaugural National Delegates Convention (NDC) tomorrow (February 22) and launch campaigns for the 2022 General Election.
Dr Kalua, who is also the founder of the Green Africa Foundation, says GTAP, which will hold its NDC at the Bomas of Kenya, is a political party founded on the principle of sustainability and espouses “Green Thinking" as its primary philosophy.
“The party seeks to realise a people-centered government through transformative leadership that empowers Kenyan households as the primary drivers of National Development and Growth,” he told Nation.Africa in an interview on Monday.
G-TAP, he noted, advocates for viable, sustainable and green growth policies in the spheres of governance, finance and political leadership.
“The party's vision revolves around three pillars namely; ethical and effective governance, sustainable wealth generation and the dignity of the household,” said Dr Kalua.
“This new party hopes to appeal to the youth and other Kenyans with leadership capabilities with a strong desire to change the status quo.”
Dr Kalua pointed out that the party will, however, not produce a presidential candidate in the August 9 polls, but will have candidates vie for other positions.
“We want to give Kenyans a new platform and an alternative outfit that understands their needs at the grassroots level and enable them to have leadership that understands their problems at the lower level and effectively addresses them,” he said.
G-TAP, he noted, adopts eight policy positions that it seeks to shape to improve the lives of Kenyans.
The policy positions include alignment with vision 2030, macro-economics, inclusive growth, ease of doing business, cost of energy, manufacturing-led development, draw-down and effective utilisation of public debt and agriculture.
“The party’s economic policy aligns with the country’s vision 2030 and its activities will seek to ensure that Kenya is transformed into a new industrialising middle-income economy providing high quality of life to all citizens,” Dr Kalua said.
On inclusive growth, he said the party shall promote public investments that are catalytic in nature and in particular, those that seek to facilitate the inclusion of underserved segments of Kenya's population, including youth, women and the geographically marginalised areas.
“Seeing that the private sector is the engine of growth, and hence G-TAP shall promote policies aimed at easing business registration,” he said.
“The party seeks to continually promote the reduction of the cost of energy through adoption of green alternatives and renegotiation of current energy contracts to align them with market standards and ensure that the public gets value for money,” he added.
On manufacturing-led development, he revealed that G-TAP believes that Kenya must pursue a manufacturing-led development pathway to ensure that it carries along the majority of its citizens.
“G-TAP will require effective drawdown of all public debt instruments entered into, and shall not at any point allow delayed timelines in the implementation of the projects. The technical service offered by the civil service shall be fully aligned to this requirement, and a derogation shall attract sanction, including dismissal. On Agriculture, the party shall seek enhanced investments into Agriculture, at least equivalent to 10 percent of the GDP.
“It shall also seek the creation of 10 million jobs along priority agricultural value chains. This will be supported by reforms in agriculture policies and the strengthening of the county governments in offering extension services and promotion of sustainable use of land,” added Dr Kalua
