President Kenyatta needs to change tact, writes Collins Mabinda

Kenya is at a critical juncture. It is that point where the old must give rise to new, where old habits must give way to new habits, and where the hopes and dreams of Kenyans must turn to reality.

A President is elected for one purpose, and one purpose only. To ensure that the interests of Kenyans are protected, safeguarded, and advanced.

Has President Kenyatta lived up to this billing? Has he been steadfast in ensuring that a Kenyan achieves the highest state of material and social well-being?

In the year 2013, Kenyans went to elections. The elections were disputed, but in the spirit of democracy, those who had lost chose to accept and move on. The victors had promised to be magnanimous in victory, but what they instead meted out to the rest of Kenyans was the so-called tyranny of numbers. Even the President’s supporters have not been spared in the so-called tyranny of numbers.

The media space is rapidly shrinking, and there is a growing fear that the old Kanu days are slowly creeping back.What’s more, the Kenyatta administration does not even have a single flagship project. The administration starts and abandons projects at will. The country is littered with too many projects that are not amounting to anything.

President Kibaki had his flagship – free primary education and roads expansion. Up to now, one cannot point to a single large-scale project by the Jubilee administration.

The laptops project held a lot of promise, but the project remains a mere pipe dream instead of a genuine effort by the government to help our youngsters be at par with the rest of the world in IT literacy.

Farmers are not getting paid the right incomes, and their fortunes have fallen ever since President Kibaki left power. Prices of goods have soared highly, as the government continues to borrow heavily.

Even more, grand corruption continues unabated.

The path forward for the President is simple. He must quickly change direction, and firmly implement policies that will promote a peaceful and prosperous country.

After all, this is the sacred duty he took an oath for.

Article originally published by The Star.