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January 06, 2005

President Kibaki is committed to a socially just and equitable society

Legislator Koigi wa Wamwere's argument that President Kibaki is not committed to the poor is a barefaced falsehood, with clear political connotations and displays a deliberate attempt to ignore and whitewash policies that President Kibaki has embarked on in the last two years. The legislator also clearly ignores that the damage of two decades of deliberate scorched earth policies by the former government, that sent 60 percent of our population into the poverty bracket will not be reversed within two years. Indeed, an assessment of the policies of the NARC government will reveal that President Kibaki has not only pursued pro-poor policies but is also committed to making Kenya a socially just and equitable society.

For a beginning, it is particularly telling to note that President Kibaki has initiated the most vigorous campaign to revive agriculture in the country since independence. This is in appreciation that the majority of Kenyans are engaged in agriculture and over 70 per cent of Kenyans derive their livelihood directly or indirectly from the sector.

This improved performance is reflected in all sub-sectors of agriculture. Tea, horticulture and coffee production have recorded impressive improvements since 2002. Sugar companies that have been perennial loss makers have also been turned around and are now able to meet their obligations to farmers. With the revival of KCC, dairy farming has greatly improved with milk production increasing by 18% last year. With these improvements, there has been corresponding improvement in farmers' income, which has generated much optimism. Sugar production this year increased from 400,000 tones to 490,000. Increased production can only mean that more people are getting back into production and gainful employment.

President Kibaki's constant call to Kenyans to add value to our agricultural produce in order to improve earnings for our farmers is further proof of his commitment to addressing the plight of the poor. The President clearly understands that as long as farmers sell their produce in their raw form, the poverty cycle will continue.

As Kenyans appreciate, the co-operative movement offers the best avenue of availing capital for investment to our people and freeing them from the trap of poverty. Kenyans will no doubt agree that President Kibaki has been at the forefront in calls for the revival and strengthening of the movement, which offers the best vehicle of availing investment capital to enhance value addition. So far, the government has put in place measures and strategies geared towards restoring public confidence in the movement. These measures have included streamlining the management of cooperative societies, merging small unviable societies and curbing corruption. Our co-operative movement is today ranked first on the continent and seventh worldwide. Legislators like Hon. Koigi must be at the forefront in educating their constituents on the need for co-operative society members to demand more accountability from officials of the movement. They should also be pushing for the prosecution of those officials who squandered funds that contributed to poverty in the country.

To further reach out to the poor, President Kibaki sanctioned the channeling of resources to the grassroots level through constituency-based initiatives. Most notable, the government has created the Constituency Development Fund through which development funds are being channeled to the people on the ground. This financial year, Kshs. 4.5 billion has been channeled to the fund. Through the road maintenance Levy Fund, every constituency is receiving Kshs.5.5 million this financial year. Each constituency is also receiving funds for the bursary fund. Another Kshs 4.5 billion shillings is going directly to local authorities.

The challenge to honourable members of parliament is to ensure that these funds are channeled to areas that have immediate gains for the poor. President Kibaki has supported these initiatives because they decentralize the decision making process, and allow people at the grassroots level to determine their priorities.

President Kibaki has also been at the forefront in appealing to parents to take their children to school and take advantage of the free primary education. Again this is intended, if anything, to benefit the less privileged in society. It gives a window of opportunity to children from poor families who would not have had a chance in life. As a result 1.3 million children who would be out of school for want of fees have enrolled in primary schools. To further ensure that needy students have access to education, the government has established the Constituency Bursary Fund to which has been allocated Kshs.770 million for bursary funds at the secondary level.

There is no greater weapon any government can give its people in the fight against poverty, than education. Universal access to primary education has far reaching effects on the nations health, social and economic well-being. The President has consistently pointed out that there is no better time to educate your child than today.

On matters of health the President has clearly stated that he stands for access to basic health care for all Kenyans, because proper health care is one of the pillars in the governments economic recovery strategy. He has stated that the country will implement a health care scheme that is sustainable now and in the long term.

In recognition of the importance of land as the primary factor of production in an agricultural economy like Kenya, President Kibaki has initiated comprehensive land reforms aimed at streamlining all land matters in the country and making land available to the landless. The Ndung'u report, which was recently released to the public, is part of this process. The recommendations made in the report are in the process of being implemented. An important component of the land policy of the Kibaki government is the improvement of the management of agricultural settlement schemes programme under the Settlement Fund Trustees (SFT). This programme is meant to provide land to landless Kenyans.

It is instructive to note that the new land policy will address issues of security of tenure and access to land by the poor, with special consideration to women, widows and orphans. On the thorny subject of absentee landlords, especially in the coast province, President Kibaki has personally directed the Ministry of Lands to initiate the appropriate measures to make this land available to landless Kenyans.

One of the major causes of poverty among Kenyans has been poor agricultural production mainly because of poor rainfall. As part of the commitment to poverty eradication, the government has given priority to the rehabilitation of existing dams and water pans in order to ensure regular supply of water. Similarly, the government has continued to forge partnership with the private sector with a view to improving the provision of water. This financial year, over 4,000 new water permits were issued to individuals and institutions. It merits mention that the government intends to expand irrigation schemes at the rate of 3% or 4,500 hectares per year, at an estimated cost of Ksh 24 billion over the next 5 years.

President Kibaki has also been at the forefront in appealing to Kenyans to be wary of the twin problems of alcohol abuse and HIV/AIDS. We all know the sections of our community that are most prone to these problems. The President does not talk about these issues because he looks down on people. He does this because he is clearly aware that these two problems are today the biggest threat to any attempts to get our people out of the poverty bracket. Our legislators must not shy away from talking about these problems that deny the country millions of man-hours aannually.

This poor rich divide theory, was first propagated by Hon Otieno Kajwang, whose politics have been clear for all to see in the last two years. Hon Koigi should not seek to dismiss the gains of President Kibaki, because I know him to be a man who truly feels for the people of Kenya. He must however advise Hon. Kajwang to be more vocal in coming up with policies that will help the fishermen of Mbita, a beautiful part of this country that could really benefit if Hon Kajwang was at the forefront of promoting it as a preferred local tourist destination.

Finally I must emphasize that the policies that President Kibaki has pursued since assuming office are not eschewed towards any particular class. On the contrary, and as existing evidence suggests, President Kibaki is committed to making Kenya a more socially just and equitable society that we will all be proud to call our home. We have much distance to cover, but the foundation has been clearly laid out, let us consolidate on our gains.

ISAIYA KABIRA
DIRECTOR PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE