Perpetual campaigns derail nation's growth

Our type of politics never ceases to amaze me. It is as if we are doomed to perpetual politicking at the expense of development.

I have lost faith in our politicians, though I must admit I never had much faith in them.

At the national level, we seem to be in full campaign mode with more than two years before the elections. It’s as if one campaign, won or lost, morphs into another without a break in between.

We have motorcades zooming in and out of slums in a bid to woo voters with development projects that never come through.

Of course, our MPs are not to be left behind. They are busy lining their pockets at the expense of legislating. The other day, the MPs gave themselves a nice fat bonus amounting to Sh17 billion because they feel they are putting in too much time building the nation and they must be compensated for the effort. Yet, the bunch of clowns are among the best paid in the world.

Where did we go wrong as a country? Will this state of affairs ever change?

Even such a noble thing as harambee has been turned into a playground for politicians, where they take any opportunity to show off their ill-gotten largesse to the electorate.

We all saw the other week a politician known for his newly acquired taste in expensive shoes and watches casually donating Sh3 million for building of a mosque, with cameras in tow so that the noble gesture can be captured for posterity (and social media).

In this particular incident, cash had to be ferried by a minder because the politician couldn’t carry such a load. Of course, they are just copying the President who’s been on a mission to please the crowds with his casual donations of millions of shillings to all manner of causes, in addition to promising chapatis for school children in Nairobi.

As much as chapatis form the dream of every child’s diet, I bet the school children could do better with healthier meal alternatives or better still, purchase for them schoolbooks that can be handed down over the years.

But I digress. I am intrigued by the fact that money appears to be readily available for a certain class of people while everyone else is complaining of a cash crunch. What I would like to see is some development that the current government can sit back and say: we did that!

People do not remember recurrent expenditures but capital expenditures, or expenditure that will improve services.

Last week, I went to a Huduma centre in Nyeri for a government service and I was mightily impressed by the professionalism of the workers. I did not spend more than five minutes from the time I entered the building.

And the staff appear to have gone through some form of customer service: they even smile for heaven’s sake!

A visit to most other government offices is akin to going through a torture chamber, where the dour, unsmiling clerks view you as something the cat just dragged in.

The experience at Huduma centre can rival that of the best in the private sector.

This is the kind of legacy the current administration should focus on, something that adds value rather than spending days in mile long convoys selling hot air.

I recently visited my former primary school and very little development has happened in decades.

In fact, I was shown a wooden structure that served as Dedan Kimathi’s house before he ventured into the forest to fight for our freedom.

I thought to myself: this school could do with the Sh20 million the President gave to a church that, going by the look and size of the church owner, did not need the money.

-The writer is a communications consultant.