My Expectation as a Kenyan

With the coming of the New Constitution, Kenyans have lofty expectations. And rightly so given how much this Constitution was touted as being the best thing to happen to Kenya. We were made to understand all our woes, political, social and economical, would vanish with the coming of the new law. And not just by our leaders – America and the EU swore by it and made beautiful promises to Kenya should we go ahead and pass this law at the referendum. Well, it seemed to mean that much to them all for some reason…

It makes sense therefore that we, as a country, have very high hopes pegged on this new law. It’s already here and all that remains is for the relevant committees to thrash out the implementation process, Parliament to pass necessary laws and we begin to relish the juice from this magical fruit of progress.

I’ve no doubt my expectations are much the same as those of most Kenyans. In the Counties that I call home, I expect that major roads will henceforth be tarmacked, especially the dusty road that passes right outside my rural home. I expect the road from Kaharati to Kangari, which was once beautifully and fully tarmacked but has since been left to disintegrate, will be tarmacked once again. I’m not sure what the people served by this road did to their politicians but since the days of the former regime when the road began to develop potholes, it has been neglected to the present day, until now, where there once was a modern road, there is only dust and rock as the only way to use the road now is by removing the top layer to try and level out the multi-cratered road.

Despite the fact that the area has always had an MP, and has one now, and despite the fact that restoring the country’s roads is a priority of the current government, this major road serving an area rich in tea and coffee has been left to literally return to dust and ashes. I would have thought that given the massive cost of building roads, we would maintain the ones we already have so as to avoid having to build them again from scratch – but it’s too late now for the Kaharati/Kangari road. Any work on the bigger segment of this road will now have to begin from scratch.

No doubt this will be a major factor in deciding who gets the seat come the next General Elections, as it was in the last one. We can’t wait forever for a road that has been a nightmare for over 10 years now. Hopefully eventually someone will see reason.

I expect too that the road I use daily to work, Ngong Road from Show Grounds all the way to Ngong Town Centre, will be repaired too. Permanently this time, not those half-hearted attempts at covering up potholes which get washed out almost immediately at the slightest hint of rain. Such a disgrace for a road that leads to such an important destination as Ngong Hills.

The outcry on the lips of many parents and teachers is the congestion in Primary school classes and the deteriorating standards of education. I hope to see the Counties employ enough teachers to fill the gap, and build more schools if need be to accommodate all children of school going age. Basic education is now a right, not a privilege, and resources for the same must be adequately provided.

Rural electrification has already been rolled out by the government with a certain degree of success. The County must ensure this is effectively completed and that water and electricity are now part and parcel of every household in their area of jurisdiction.

Health centres need to not only be available and accessible to all Kenyans, but they must also be well equipped with staff, medicine and relevant equipment. The days of ‘a semblance of order’ are gone. We now need ‘real order’, we need real services leading to better quality of life.

Simply put, infrastructure will play a crucial role in the development of each County across the country. Those responsible for the vast resources government is directing to Counties must put these to good and efficient use, providing not only basic necessities, but also investing in development projects and mechanisms.

None of us is expecting hand outs (hopefully), we know we need to work for our individual and national progress. But there are those services, as well as an enabling environment, that the authorities must provide for us to be able to achieve. Roads, water, power, health, Sanitation, education, food, shelter, are top on this list. We must cater for these somehow, ensuring affordable food, health and housing, ensuring ease of transport, and providing the apparatus that stir on development like water, education, power and communication systems. Employment will be readily available if these conditions are present.

Out of the wealth of Counties we hope to see all members of the region benefit. We wish not to see public funds and wealth disappear into individual or corporate pockets. There must be tangible benefits to the community for development projects undertaken in the area like mining, agriculture, tourism, fishing etc. And, for all it’s worth, jobs and positions must be given on merit, not nepotism, favouritism or tribalism.

As the central government implements its end of expectations to make sure the country as a whole flourishes in all areas, sectors and systems, we wish to see the Counties reproduce this in their region so that sooner rather than later the whole country will develop equally and move at supersonic speed towards Vision 2030.

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