President Uhuru Kenyatta launches the SGR in Mombasa. [Photo/ PSCU]
Although NASA politicians have been trying to dilute the credit President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee administration is getting for various development projects, the Opposition leaders are now acknowledging that the President has delivered on major projects.
When President Kenyatta launched the new Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in a historic move two weeks ago, the Opposition, led by presidential candidate Raila Odinga claimed that the infrastructure idea was conceived during the previous administration — President Mwai Kibaki’s Grand Coalition Government.
While there is some truth to that, the reality the SGR project was just an idea on paper when President Kenyatta came to power in 2013. He had to go to China to source for funding of the monumental project, which is set to revolutionise transport between Mombasa and Nairobi. He did all the hard work to make the railway a reality.
Deputy President recently admitted that there is no one who has a monopoly of ideas. He said the responsibility of a government is to complete ongoing projects, implement own project ideas and plan on what is to be done in future.
The former Eldoret North MP said that unless action is put to an idea, it remains a dream. He correctly labelled Raila and his team of NASA politicians trying to take credit as dreamers, who can’t put a finger to any complete project they have done.
Ever since this reality dawned on the Opposition, there has been a wide acknowledgment that the development projects President Kenyatta has done will benefit the people greatly. No single NASA politician is now questioning the usefulness of, for example, the SGR project. Even Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, who is always keen to oppose anything from Jubilee, recently stopped criticising the project after his own supporters turned against him when he faulted the historic project.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Raila’s presidential running mate, recently admitted that the SGR project is good. To support it, he suggested making Mombasa Road a dual carriageway in order to reduce road accidents.
Two senior NASA leaders — National Assembly Minority Leader Francis Nyenze and Kitui Senator David Musila — on Sunday said that President Kenyatta had delivered projects that people can see. They urged voters in Ukambani voters to consider voting for Jubilee in the August 8 presidential election.
My prediction is that as time goes by, more leaders in NASA will see the light and say the truth — that the President has accomplished a lot during his first term and he, therefore, deserves a second term to continue with the work of transforming the country.