Kenya’s Economic Dream to be Singapore
It is unheard of a Kingdom to fancy its neighbors might while doing nothing to get level. Worse still, it is unbelievable that an elected leader would promise the electorate heaven while all he does is sit in the deep oceans. The ‘Singapore Dream’, laughable, funny or anything you want to describe it, has to be the grandest jokes ever in history of Kenya’s political promise.
To be a first- world, or Singapore in this context, a country must possess four, if not five great characteristics, and lacking one would only mean one thing- the journey is still far from being achieved. Now imagine having none of the characteristics. it goes without saying, that Kenya would not be like Singapore in the next 5 years if all the leaders care is how much taxes the already struggling citizens can strain to give, forced or otherwise.
For starters, Kenya lacks fiscal muscles to be half of what Singapore was six years ago, to say the very least. A country that is struggling to keep students in schools, doctors at work and public services as disposal would most certainly not be Singapore in the next five years. I stand corrected. What good will it be to generate five trillion shillings in revenue when half of the country, and even more still go without food? How would a country achieve the most desired dream when creating job opportunities is a challenge? Let us be very honest, some promises should never be made.
Our economic backbone should be agriculture. But are we doing enough? You would want me to give you statistics but i believe that is the role of Kenya Bureau of Statistics. Let’s stick to facts. Watching daily updates could be very disheartening that priority would be on leaders meeting in high end areas, sharing shrimp cocktails while the country’s periphery die of hunger, inadequate water. Wait, ain’t we a country surrounded by fresh water bodies? it is really worrying.
Human Development Index (HDI) measures life quality based on health, education, living standards and more…as per United Nations standards. Are we even halfway there? How can we claim to be headed towards the right direction when hospitals struggle to provide medicine to patients. University students have more than twice taken to the streets demanding for payment for their lecturers. It doesn’t end there, the institutions of higher learning are on their knees, with unbelievable amounts of debts. I this what we expect from a country aiming to be a first world?
Someone should remind the government that roadside declarations don’t make a country an economic giant. Being self-sustainable requires a lot of action. If I’m too much of fiscal muscles, tell me the last time government positively took criticism. Pointing a misdoing would easily put you behind bars. This totally goes against a standard of a democracy. Transparent government institutions, free and fair elections as well as high levels of political participation define good relations, something we still lack. Tell me why more money would be spent on electoral campaign than get books for pupils in underfunded schools. That one electoral campaign season leads to another as leaders care more about positions than service delivery.
I’d say we are headed towards the right direction if there was respect for rule of law. But tell me why office bearers are immune to the laws of the land. If we can’t have basic accountability, would we soar like eagles when situation allows? Let’s first achieve civil liberties by protection of human rights.
Most importantly, let’s train ourselves to be a good country. Let’s protect our environment, be kind to each other, elect leaders on merit and not popularity, be accountable and protect our dignity. Until then, we an only dream about being ‘Singapore’
