Good afternoon and thank you for gathering here today.
With humble gratitude, I acknowledge receipt of the Limuru III Conference Resolutions that have herein been presented to the Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) party this afternoon.
From our history’s great birth – first in self-determination on June 1, 1963 – our Founding Fathers made a promise to its citizenry to eradicate ignorance, poverty, and disease.
61 years on, we still are faced with this very dilemma and one we must change with critical and pragmatic application.
First, Limuru III, I believe, was the celebration of culture and diversity interposed by a spirit of constructive dialogue. What was clear then and what remains even more abundantly so is that we should promote our unique and diverse identities, regardless of the challenges and aspirations that make the great nation of Kenya.
Second, Devolution is perhaps the current abiding hallmark of the Constitution 2010. We have indeed decentralised services, thoughts, and practices from Nairobi to the 46 counties with great and admirable success. There though have been challenges; devolved corruption foremost in all 47 counties.
It thus is important that we strengthen not just all institutional ambits but focus and debunk the mostly individual, familial, and community thinking that ‘our time to eat’ is now because we are in government. That pragmatically devolved election cycles since 2013 have resulted in three-times plus the episodes of blatant theft of 15 percent allocation of public resources cannot continue to be the Kenyan narrative.
While this eye of blindness should not become a cloak that camouflages efficacy and equity and more importantly denies deserving Kenyans of services; it must be mentioned that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI)) was pragmatically clear on equality and equity for all regardless of area, tribe, race, and religion. We should as a matter of urgency consider the BBI provisions going forward as there are solutions to our current predicaments.
The NADCO Report advocated for an increase in County Budgetary allocation from 15% to 20%. I am of the opinion that this should be 35% with more checks and balances holding the county administrations responsible. We will then I believe realise our vision of having at least one properly funded and staffed National Secondary School as well as a Level 5 Hospital.
Third, for the third year running, Kenyans have been introduced to Finance Bills (then Acts) that break the body and tasks its soul. The people’s recommendations via public participation last year were abundantly clear: “No more arbitrary taxation without commensurate service delivery.”
A year on, suffice it to say, the Finance Bill has become more retrogressive and punitive; targeting the very people that it said was at its heart. From bread to M-PESA transactions and motor vehicle taxes, their avarice appetite speaks to their callousness and Inhumanity.
From the long-running healthcare strike to fake fertilizer trades and the subsequent farce of the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary impeachment trial; it is abundantly clear that the People’s voice and needs are secondary to this administration’s frightful plan. The “Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA)” antonym has been replaced by the “State-Capture” verb.
As the government-in-waiting, we will continue to advocate for the people, using all constitutional means available.