President Uhuru Kenyatta. Despite the fact that the Kenyan economy is wobbling, he says that all is well and Kenyans should not worry. (niaje.com)
Right now I am in a foul mood because of many things. I am in a foul mood because President Uhuru Kenyatta says everything is okay and Kenyans need not worry about the current economic situation. I am in a foul mood because our President goes further and terms those who question how the government is running its affairs as “noise makers”. I am in a foul mood because those who have been given the responsibility of watching over funds that are supposed to help the youth out of poverty have decided to enrich themselves at the expense of the deserving youth. Can you imagine that President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, one of the worst examples of leadership in the world, is making fun of Kenya? That Kenyans learn for a Bachelors degree in Stealing! Something is terribly wrong with our country when even the Devil makes fun of us. Like many Kenyans, I really do not understand why the government is being so casual in handling the current cash crunch that it is facing us. Is it because the top-dogs in government – the President, his deputy, the Cabinet, and other top civil servants, MPs, etc – are not feeling the pinch or is it just a question of carelessness? The situation may not be as dire as the opposition wants everyone to believe, neither is it as good as the government wants us to believe. If I borrowed a loan from the bank last year at an interest rate of 15% and suddenly I have to pay back at an interest rate of over 20% just because the government has decided to borrow from banks at commercial rates, how does the government expect me to be happy? All my years of living in this country, I have never seen a situation where power has been cut off from parliament for non-payment to the utility provider. But that has happened this year. Back to where we began, it is sheer arrogance for the President and those around him to sneer at and term as “noise makers” those who question blatant and imprudent use of tax payer’s money. Whereas Kenya cannot go down economically soon as the doom-sayers are saying, nevertheless, the situation is dire and Kenya can go the Greece way if the government keeps pretending that all is well. The downside of this whole scenario is that, instead of the government telling us how it is going to turn around the situation, some within its ranks are using every opportunity to spew vitriol and attack those who question government’s spending and actions. The government owes it to Kenyans to explain its actions. The Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich says government has just signed another loan facility from the international market. I may be a layman in economic issues but I understand basic economics. When you are in debt, you don’t continue borrowing. Rather, you try and find a way of cutting down on your expenditure and repaying your debts first before you can borrow again. But borrowing from Tom to repay Peter does not change your situation. It means that you still owe someone money. Yet that is what the government is doing. When it borrowed money from the international market last year through the Eurobond, government said that this was so that it may not borrow locally. This was meant to keep interest rates down. One year down the road, this has not happened and the interest rates have shot up. Of course there are other external and unforeseen factors that have contributed to this precarious situation, but still, government has a responsibility to reassure Kenyans and not sneer at them when they demand for answers, no matter their political affiliation. Forthright explanations will help to clear the current doubts and apathy regarding the country’s economic situation, now and in the near future. This is why I say that the country is at a cross-road. The opposition is predicting doom while the government on its part is very casual. On the other hand, even those who have mismanaged their economies like Mugabe know that we are not doing well. Who will speak for the voiceless Kenyans who have been left on their own?
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