Give President Uhuru Kenyatta round one victory
When President Uhuru Kenyatta took the oath of office in 2013, he promised to ensure that Kenya remains peaceful and prospers. Less than a year to the election, he has kept this promise and despite the challenges, Kenya is a better country than it was four years ago.
At times, we look at the challenges and forget to look at all the successes that have resulted in the President’s leadership. For instance, Kenya’s economy is ranked among the fastest growing and those that have improved the ease of doing business.
Even as the global economy struggled over the last two years, Kenya’s remained resilient with inflation below 7 percent and a steady economic growth of between 5.8 percent and 6.2 percent. As a good leader, the President has built on the foundation laid by former President Mwai Kibaki.
In terms of peace and stability, the number of attacks related to terrorism have gone down while there have been fewer cross-border conflicts. Our security forces have also been able to respond more adequately to crime as the Jubilee administration has invested heavily in equipping them with vehicles and other necessary equipment.
The upcoming election is threatening to be a destabilising factor for the country if not well managed. This is why Jubilee supporters and even those in the opposition that believe in Uhuru Kenyatta’s leadership must ensure that he wins in the first round.
A first round win will ensure that the country is not put into a polarized election mood for longer than is necessary. In addition, a landslide win for Uhuru will see no one rush to the Supreme Court to challenge the result.
This will also guard the country from claims of rigging similar to those witnessed in 2007 and which led to the post-election violence. No one can claim to be calling people to the streets in an election whose results show that the winner had a clean and decisive win.
As long as we do not have a contested election, we will guard the country from unnecessary conflict and we can continue driving the economy upwards in a peaceful and stable country.
It is worth noting that President Uhuru Kenyatta has taken the first step towards ensuring that he decisively wins a second term. He and Deputy President William Ruto are determined to ensure that elections are an event that should not disrupt the normalcy of a nation and its quest for development.
By forming the Jubilee Party, the President is keen on ensuring that all his supporters get to vote for a uniform political outfit. In addition, the Jubilee Party will be the largest single party in the country bringing together leaders from all regions in the country, including their supporters.
In addition, he has demonstrated that having a united political outfit also helps the government to concentrate on delivery. This is because we do not witness wrangling among political parties within the Jubilee Coalition as its leaders – Uhuru and Ruto – have taken to themselves to emphasize on delivery.
From where I sit, a second term for President Uhuru Kenyatta will not only help consolidate unity but is also the best bet to the country’s prosperity. His focus has been to ensure that every Kenyan has space to develop their lives by providing electricity, better roads and better healthcare.
Never in the history of Kenya has the country hosted world leaders including those from the US and Russia as well as the Pope in a period of less than two years. During the same period, Nairobi has hosted four global events bringing together world leaders as well as business investors.
Kenya continues to attract large foreign investors who are keen to take advantage of the great business environment created through President Uhuru Kenyatta’s leadership. Things can only get better with him continuing with a second term in office after next year’s elections.
(The writer is a political and communications consultant. Twitter @MachelWaikenda)
