[The Jubilee Party launch at Kasarani. The government has been caught flat footed four years since it took power. Photo: kenyainsights.com] Let’s start with 'unga wa Ugali'.
When Jubilee took over from the Narc coalition in 2013, a packet of 2kg of maize meal was retailing under Sh100 from an average of between Sh130 and Sh150 in 2011.There was an outcry from Kenyans then and the government was forced to intervene and in 2012, unga was retailing between Sh116 and Sh130. But, the government seems to have lost despite the PR. The suave proponents, especially on social media platforms are finding it hard to just pass info without scrutiny.Despite the fact that opposition has been pushing propaganda that unga was retailing at Sh60 before Jubilee took over, other issues have been put under the spotlight and the findings are disturbing.Jubilee had the laptops and sports stadiums projects in their manifesto but nothing is there to show four years down the line and Kenyan youths, especially, are very unhappy.While launching the Delivery.go.ke portal, President Uhuru Kenyatta was at pains to explain the achievements the government has made but it was not easy to come along.Uhuru was hard-pressed going to an extent of beseeching Kenyans to give the coalition another term to deliver. But, to deliver what if Kibaki’s less than Sh50B was evident (Thika Road) without having to launch a portal?Jubilee has been accused of accusing bloggers to spin tales of success which the president may have believed himself. On the ground, the story is different.There are checks and counterchecks and it will not be easy sailing to the house on the hill for the ‘brothers’ like it was in 2013 when they capitalised on the ICC to rally masses against colonialism.‘Shamba La Wanyama’ has never been truer in Kenya than it is now. Some animals are equal than others. While Kenyans are suffering from hunger, the picture from the government side is that of more than enough with millions being spent on campaigns locally and internationally (remember the failed AU Chair bid?).As politics heats up the reality is fast catching up with Jubilee and the scorecard is out.
Some children are still studying under trees, others have no materials and yet this was one of the Jubilee’s selling point in 2013. The promise was that the sector would be revamped. Other programmes have failed to impress like the last mile connections, the SGR and the 7,000KM of roads that are yet to be completed.While the government has taken the vote hunt to the opposition backgrounds, some have been comical like in Mombasa when the president said the county government had received Sh40B only to later be reduced to 16B.It has also left many questions unanswered with the launching of ‘small projects’ which have been put up at inflated costs like the Mombasa footbridge. The government’s image is already tainted and with less than four months to the elections, Uhuru has a lot of cleaning up to do.The 36 bloggers may have compromised his re-election.