Its my Government not Jubilee's
Government
running is a collective effort
Recently Deputy president Hon. William Ruto asserted that “the business of running the government is Jubilee Coalition’s role”. Out of good faith I think he meant well. However, I differ with Ruto on these fronts; the responsibility is indeed Jubilee’s role but it does not mean that Jubilee is the fountain of good ideologies. In-fact, it wouldn’t kill the Jubilee team to listen to the voices of reasoning that most often are swept under the noise of “tyranny of numbers”. Sir, good ideas are within and without Jubilee but a good leader must listen to critics very positively for sometimes they bear well; as a matter of fact, they are what propel leaders to have the desire to attain the very best. The Jubilee team are best of friends in all fronts but isn’t a prayer offered “Dear, Lord guide and protect me from my enemies whose intent I already know but even more so importantly, my friends whose real intent is often lost to me”.
So the Laptop debate has been raging and with finality the government has decided that it must go and so it shall go on. That’s superb. Yet, I wonder why the government is in a hurry to implement the “Laptop Agenda” against the glaring backdrop indications that it would be more successful if certain measures are undertaken. For starts, it has to be distributed in class one and the government is convinced that this is the best level for the laptop policy must take off…not class four or six but class one; right? That is clearly water under the bridge yet the next concern level arises. The government feels that it must do this without relevant stakeholder’s opinion. I wonder if this makes the government a lone ranger on this project or it will involve them (the stake-holders) when project has taken off. Wouldn’t it be prudent for government to keep everyone (by everyone, I mean teachers, various IT experts, School authorities, security personnel) on the same page so that when this project takes off, then everyone is reading from the same page? Just a thought of an ordinary Kenyan!
It would not hurt the government to use the budgeted 15 Billion for the laptop programme to develop the capacity in the next year by providing classrooms for those schools that learn under rock or better still; just build the laptop blocks in those “under-tree learning schools”, ensure that electricity and solar installation is fitted in every school even in the mobile learning centers in the Arid and Semi Arid regions, train the teaching staff (teachers have been on the fore front saying they don’t have the capacity to offer IT teaching because they are inept on IT knowledge) but most importantly they should design the curricular for the same. I bet this can take one year and the first 15 Million will be prudently spent for the laptop programme. As the government notes, it is doing this in phases and this level should form the basis of phase one.
In the second year of the Jubilee government hold on power, they should roll out the programme to all the students and to schools whose capacity they spent the first year enhancing for the programme to record high success levels. With this, phase two will be effectively tackled in the second budgetary allocations expenses. The remaining three years will be spent dealing with the teething problems of the programme but above all enhancing its capacity further and higher success by the end of the first term. This will not deny the Jubilee government the credit for starting off the laptop project. In-fact in the mind of every Kenyan, we will know that this splendid idea emanated from and we will credit it to the digital team. The proponents of government must never raise their guards every time somebody scrutinizes their development pointers. The same must go for the opposition in Kenya who has taken upon themselves the detrimental responsibility of opposing every government initiative that is suggested without offering substantial alternative.
The truth be told, the laptop programme is not a “Jubilee zones only” project but the entire country’s project. It would not hurt to see Jakoyo Midiwo offering insights on how the programme will be effective in Alego Usonga rather than in wholesome oppose the project. Doesn’t he want the Siaya County kids to become digitally savvy? The opposition must seek to learn that effective checking of the government is not in opposing everything offered on the table of development but on how to make the programmes better. It would not hurt also to see the Jubilee MP's and Senators putting their own government officers to task for finer details before they endorse any government position. If the laptop project fails, it would not be only in Migori, Kathiani, Likoni or Lagdera but the same will be exhibited in Maragua, Nyeri, Kiambu, Turkana and Kipkelion. It will be a general government failure and all Kenyans will have lost enormous resources on a programme that was not carefully laid out. If the “tyranny of numbers” is used effectively to refine the programme, the Jubilee government will not lose but actually stand to gain more credit and will have the basis to ask Kenyans for a second or even a 3rd term at the helm of government.
The success of any government is not the wish of only Jubilee supporters and power players but for every Kenyan including my unborn child who will only hope that the responsibility of any sensible leadership is to make Kenya a better place abound with opportunities for all regardless of the political divide of inclination. It never actually matters (only during the election) which political inclination one bears; what remains consistent in every Kenyan is the need to have a better country where “hatuvumilii kukuwa wakenya”.
Recently Deputy president Hon. William Ruto asserted that “the business of running the government is Jubilee Coalition’s role”. Out of good faith I think he meant well. However, I differ with Ruto on these fronts; the responsibility is indeed Jubilee’s role but it does not mean that Jubilee is the fountain of good ideologies. In-fact, it wouldn’t kill the Jubilee team to listen to the voices of reasoning that most often are swept under the noise of “tyranny of numbers”. Sir, good ideas are within and without Jubilee but a good leader must listen to critics very positively for sometimes they bear well; as a matter of fact, they are what propel leaders to have the desire to attain the very best. The Jubilee team are best of friends in all fronts but isn’t a prayer offered “Dear, Lord guide and protect me from my enemies whose intent I already know but even more so importantly, my friends whose real intent is often lost to me”.
So the Laptop debate has been raging and with finality the government has decided that it must go and so it shall go on. That’s superb. Yet, I wonder why the government is in a hurry to implement the “Laptop Agenda” against the glaring backdrop indications that it would be more successful if certain measures are undertaken. For starts, it has to be distributed in class one and the government is convinced that this is the best level for the laptop policy must take off…not class four or six but class one; right? That is clearly water under the bridge yet the next concern level arises. The government feels that it must do this without relevant stakeholder’s opinion. I wonder if this makes the government a lone ranger on this project or it will involve them (the stake-holders) when project has taken off. Wouldn’t it be prudent for government to keep everyone (by everyone, I mean teachers, various IT experts, School authorities, security personnel) on the same page so that when this project takes off, then everyone is reading from the same page? Just a thought of an ordinary Kenyan!
It would not hurt the government to use the budgeted 15 Billion for the laptop programme to develop the capacity in the next year by providing classrooms for those schools that learn under rock or better still; just build the laptop blocks in those “under-tree learning schools”, ensure that electricity and solar installation is fitted in every school even in the mobile learning centers in the Arid and Semi Arid regions, train the teaching staff (teachers have been on the fore front saying they don’t have the capacity to offer IT teaching because they are inept on IT knowledge) but most importantly they should design the curricular for the same. I bet this can take one year and the first 15 Million will be prudently spent for the laptop programme. As the government notes, it is doing this in phases and this level should form the basis of phase one.
In the second year of the Jubilee government hold on power, they should roll out the programme to all the students and to schools whose capacity they spent the first year enhancing for the programme to record high success levels. With this, phase two will be effectively tackled in the second budgetary allocations expenses. The remaining three years will be spent dealing with the teething problems of the programme but above all enhancing its capacity further and higher success by the end of the first term. This will not deny the Jubilee government the credit for starting off the laptop project. In-fact in the mind of every Kenyan, we will know that this splendid idea emanated from and we will credit it to the digital team. The proponents of government must never raise their guards every time somebody scrutinizes their development pointers. The same must go for the opposition in Kenya who has taken upon themselves the detrimental responsibility of opposing every government initiative that is suggested without offering substantial alternative.
The truth be told, the laptop programme is not a “Jubilee zones only” project but the entire country’s project. It would not hurt to see Jakoyo Midiwo offering insights on how the programme will be effective in Alego Usonga rather than in wholesome oppose the project. Doesn’t he want the Siaya County kids to become digitally savvy? The opposition must seek to learn that effective checking of the government is not in opposing everything offered on the table of development but on how to make the programmes better. It would not hurt also to see the Jubilee MP's and Senators putting their own government officers to task for finer details before they endorse any government position. If the laptop project fails, it would not be only in Migori, Kathiani, Likoni or Lagdera but the same will be exhibited in Maragua, Nyeri, Kiambu, Turkana and Kipkelion. It will be a general government failure and all Kenyans will have lost enormous resources on a programme that was not carefully laid out. If the “tyranny of numbers” is used effectively to refine the programme, the Jubilee government will not lose but actually stand to gain more credit and will have the basis to ask Kenyans for a second or even a 3rd term at the helm of government.
The success of any government is not the wish of only Jubilee supporters and power players but for every Kenyan including my unborn child who will only hope that the responsibility of any sensible leadership is to make Kenya a better place abound with opportunities for all regardless of the political divide of inclination. It never actually matters (only during the election) which political inclination one bears; what remains consistent in every Kenyan is the need to have a better country where “hatuvumilii kukuwa wakenya”.
According to the American Serie Scandal ( not sure such is your type) It shows that when politicians are contesting for office - they make promises to big companies to financially back them up and later once they are in office they are given front face ... so this might answer your qn or i just watch too many movies :)
ReplyDeleteWell, true that! Mao Tse Tung says in his "48 Principles of Power" that for a politician to remain powerful and relevant, they must keep promises they cannot deliver and when they get to office they should change the vision. Guess that's the drift for our politicians! The Multi-Nationals I believe play roles during campaigns and thus the backhand deals!
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