People-first national address starts by tackling households' basic needs

“We want a nation united in its diversity. We need a state that is capable and competent. We are developing innovative ways of funding infrastructure. We are steadily removing the obstacles to meaningful and faster growth. We want a nation in which prosperity and opportunity is shared by all. We want a nation where no one goes hungry. We want a nation in which there is quality healthcare for all. We want a nation in which everyone is safe. We want a nation that is free of corruption. We want a nation that is at peace with the world. We will work together to build the nation that we want. We will work together to build a nation that works for all.”

Where do these words come from?  These are snippets from South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) to a joint sitting of their Parliament last February. Beyond the interesting ‘we’ not ‘me’ style; each of these “goal statements” is backed by strategic actions to deliver the goal. So, by example, their innovation in infrastructure funding is, guess what, an Infrastructure Fund. Does this sound familiar? Those closing statements on nation building follow a call to all South Africans to “come together in (a) National Dialogue to define a vision for our country for the next 30 years”. Sounds familiar too?

We are being illustrative here but, instructively, the tradition in South Africa is to use SONA to outline government’s programme priorities for the coming period, following which the Finance Minister allocates the Budget in line with these priorities. Basically, this is one way to do SONA.

America’s equivalent State of the Union address tends to do the same; focusing less on the past (where we are coming from), and more on the now (where we are today) and the future (where we want to be). It isn’t the only way, but, there is merit in being honest with our baseline as our picture of today—and both ambitious and realistic with our vision—our picture of tomorrow.

President William Ruto will today present the penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) of his term to our Parliament, in a week of sectoral public hearings for the 2026/27 budget (though, at the time of writing, Treasury had not availed sector reports for prior public view).

Although I have long argued that our own SONA should be a statement of accountability, not intent, it is not impossible to do both. However, I maintain the view that SONA is different; it is not a Madaraka Day commemoration of Kenya’s internal self-governance, a Mashujaa Day celebration of our national heroes or a Jamhuri Day memorialization of the independent Kenyan republic. It is, instead, mostly a constitutionally-mandated report to Kenyans on the state of our Article 10 national values and principles, international obligations under Article 2 (5) and national security under Article 240. There is, of course, more than this to the state of our nation.  The key point here is that SONA isn’t a government report on project implementation.

Actually, isn’t SONA really about Kenya as an idea — the people as the nation, then the state, then the government?  He may have left us, but Raila Odinga’s legacy will likely inform this year’s mood, in the same way that last year’s Gen-Z protests led to the official admission in the 2024 address that “rare are the times when leadership is ahead of the people; we are always striving to steer the machinery of state and government to keep pace with the aspirations of citizens”.

In fact, with a little imagination, shouldn’t we also be seeing “shadow” or alternative versions of SONA, as we do with the Budget?  A civil society perspective in 2024 scored this administration poorly on Article 10; especially following the Gen Z protests.  Given that Parliament today is a regime “echo chamber”, will the “united opposition” offer their state of the nation alternative?

Mostly, because we can predict what today’s SONA will cover — government projects, initiatives, claimed achievements and ambitious exhortations (visions, plans, intentions and the like); why not turn it into a pro-people SONA? 

Here are seven random perspectives for a people’s SONA.  The idea here is straightforward: a simple picture of honest today, and aspirational tomorrow.

First, the State of Security.  The official report accompanying the address will narrate developments in areas such as general crime, terrorism, cybercrime, organized crime, kidnapping, border security, illicit trade, banditry and cattle rustling, drugs, illicit brews and social unrest. What do people want to hear?

  First an honest baseline — where we are as free from fear, danger and want in public places and private spaces. Then an ambitious, yet realistic, vision of the future.

Second, the State of the Economy. Because this regime’s stated focus is the economy, there will be many words about our stabilized economy.  Yet, what the people, across generations, want to understand is where we are now, and going, on job, income and wealth opportunities against rising living costs, including food costs.  Infrastructure promises are more interesting than useful.

Third, the State of the Fiscus.  One expects the official storyline to focus on the progress made on fiscal consolidation and managing debt. The key concern today and tomorrow for the people is simply about the prospect of more pain— first taxes, then service fees, charges and levies.

The flip side of this is, fourth, the State of Governance and Service Delivery.  It doesn’t matter how many services have been onboarded on e-citizen as a payment system if the actual system of service delivery hasn’t improved.  Or worse, why corrupt bribes and speed money are still necessary despite this automation we see around us.  It’s the service, then the money, stupid!

At this point, the people might want to hear about, fifth, the State of Devolution.  For reasons unknown, we equate devolution with counties, not both levels of government (that is, national level across all counties, and then counties).  In theory, ordinary Kenyans shouldn’t care which level of government they engage; in practice, the state of devolution (as a division of labour) largely defines the quantum and quality of access to economic opportunities and public services.

This administration might not like to admit it, but a SONA that doesn’t speak to, sixth, the State of Corruption is not just incomplete, it is inadequate. As said before, the honest baseline we must accept is we are Corruption Level X, and the realistic vision is to move to Corruption Level X-2.  We can talk anti-corruption initiatives until kingdom come, but it starts with this admission.

Seventh and finally, the State of the Family, or Household. Using households as the representative term here, this is the one thing we miss.  For every one of the 12-13 million households that make up our Kenyan nation, where are we, and going, on what I call our five “household basics”?

That is, the State of Five Basics. Food.  Basic Rights (Education, Health, Shelter, Water, Sanitation, Social Protection). Income Opportunities and Access to Assets. Participatory Governance (during and between elections). Safety, Security and Accessible Justice. Basically, what is the State of the Household on these basics?  Isn’t that where a truly pro-people SONA should start?