Dear Mr President,

Congratulations for being elected the 5th President of the Republic of Kenya.

You’re now on the seat you’ve coveted for a while.

You seem a man with great intentions for our nation.

I pray that you succeed in all your plans and endeavors for our nation, Kenya.

But since you’ve ascended to presidency on the ‘hustler’ platform, allow me to front some important needs that you need to help hustlers meet.

FOOD

Galana-Kulalu rings a bell in our minds.

Money was pumped into the irrigation project geared to supply us with grain but it seemed to flop right before our eyes.

The other day, you flagged off lorries carrying relief food.

As you commissioned them, you gave a promise…a promise of never again…

Your deputy promised to fast track clearing of fertilizers from the port.

Good stuff.

However, please remember that the weather is unpredictable.

As the farmers sow, they’ll need rain for the crops grow…

Rains that seem more of a mystery thanks to climate change.

Beyond making fertilizers affordable, is there an irrigation plan in place?

Is your administration thinking beyond the conventional water sources and focusing on unconventional ones such as wastewater, water vapor, runoffs, brackish water (such as the one in the Lotikipi aquifer in Turkana?

These are resources which could be mobilized and help us meet the food needs we have as a nation.

This year has seen a food price hike not seen in a while.

For an ordinary Kenyan to put food on the table, they’ll need to Cough over kshs 220 for Ugali flour and possibly over kshs 1000 for 2 or 3 litres of cooking oil.

At the end of the day, if you help lower these (and other) food costs, you’d have made sense to the hustler.

But food goes hand in hand with clean water.

WATER

If you have noticed Your excellency, the intervals between droughts keep getting shorter and shorter by the year.

Piped water is a mirage for many Kenyans who struggle to eke out a living from the day to day hustle.

Agreed. This is the realm for the county governments.

However, your government could play a role in facilitating access to clean drinking water for all.

Perhaps a good place to start is to emphasize on the importance of conservation of forests.

So it came as a surprise when your deputy made an off-the-cuff remark encouraging farmers to encroach forest lands.

We all know that this plan never worked and it would be toying with disaster if your administration entertained it.

Water is such a political issue today that nations are willing to go to war for it.

If that’s so, how come we have left this resource waste away below our surface as our people (and livestock) die of thirst and hunger?

The sub terranian water in Turkana county is a good place to start.

Yes…it might be contaminated by underground minerals.

But if other nations can make seawater drinkable, so can we.

Also, we could recover water from wastewater.

This is happening in other African nations meaning that it is possible.

Imagine the difference made if the 160 cubic metres of wastewater were recovered from the Ruai treatment plant in Nairobi on a daily basis…

But all these technologies useful in making our water safe require quality education.

QUALITY EDUCATION

You’ve already outlined your intention to conduct public participation about the CBC curriculum.

Agreed…it has caused an outcry among parents especially when it comes to cost.

But on the other hand, how does it compare to the 844 system?

I can’t answer that question but I’m sure that the technocrats around you have advised you.

But bottom line is for our education system to work, it must inculcate skills.

It must enable the learner to innovate solutions to problems were facing.

Subjects tackled in the curriculum must end up delivering value to the community and not just head knowledge.

So why should students study biology…
Or chemistry…
Or geography…
Or literature…

If these disciplines don’t gear towards tackling real life problems such as food, water, security, health, energy etc, then it’s all in futility.

So as your technocrats embark on this journey, let them have that in mind.

QUALITY HEALTHCARE

Isn’t it astounding how a nation like India has such a well developed healthcare tourism industry?

It works for them because our health system doesn’t work for us.

Kenyans are burdened by the financial weight of disease treatment due to a number of factors:

First, the NHIF scheme.

Good stories of dialysis costs being footed by NHIF have made life easier for many families.

However, this scheme needs to be expanded to cater for diagnostics and treatment of diseases such as cancer, mental health complications etc.

Second, early diagnosis. 

There’s need to invest in technologies capable of diagnosing illnesses early enough before its too late.

Equipping county hospitals with imaging machines such as MRIs and CT scans will go a long way in this regard.

But this equipment must also be accompanied by staff trained to run them well.

FUEL

Already the high cost of energy is eating up the resources of many households.

Your halting of the fuel subsidies is understandable.

However, what options are you offering to the struggling Kenyan where energy costs are concerned?

A keen focus on renewable energy could hold some key.

And I’m not talking renewable energy for romantic sake.

Products such as bioethanol, biodiesel and algal oils have the potential of cutting down on fuel costs in a monumental way.

The great thing is that we have plenty of the raw materials needed to produce them…sugarcane bagasse, rice husks and maize cobs.

Perhaps it’s time to utilize scientists in research and optimization of ways to produce biofuels more efficiently.

Collaboration with nations like Indonesia and Brazil could be carried out.

But also, reducing taxes on infrastructure useful in generating renewable energy is key.

Solar panels, windmill materials among others need to be zero rated.

Expansion on the geothermal front must be ongoing.

Production of nuclear energy must be practicalized if we are to delink ourselves from fossil fuels.

SHELTER

As you know, over half of Nairobi lives in slums.

Lack of decent housing presents another problem which we always grapple with: lack of sanitation. 

Lack of decent shelter plays out through the multitudes of street families not able to live in dignity.

But another massive challenge impeding shelter for all is a group of hungry corrupt oligarchs who hold vast chunks of undeveloped land.

Still others are very ready to use corrupt court judges to disinherit squatters who’ve lived for decades in the guise of bringing ‘development’.

Construction of residential untis is a capital intensive project bound to attract a brand of business vultures called ‘tenderpreneurs’.

When they form a league with cowboy contractors you might end up with a powder keg of compromised buildings…a disaster waiting to happen (which we know about too well).

The catch is utilising funds efficiently to deliver results that favor the ‘hustler’.

A tall order now that our nation grapples with the monster of corruption day in day out.

Working in favor of Kenyans might convert your staunch supporters into your enemies.

But rest assured…if you put the people at the center of things, all will be well.

COMMUNITY

Strong families are central in building resilient communities.

The family unit must be safeguarded against all threats to it…

The LGBTQ crusade…
The pro choice movement…
The growing number of single parent headed homes…

We all know that morals cannot be legislated but you will lead the way in more ways than one.

First, we hope that you’ll be vocal against LGBTQ agenda as your predecessor was.

Thankfully, you’re a man of faith and this will not be a tall order for you.

But secondly, creating a safety net for the most vulnerable is key.

Your political opponent, the Right Hon. Raila Odinga proposed a cash transfer for single parents and economically vulnerable homes.

Ita understandable that you desire to tap into the business acumen of Kenyans.

But truth be told…not all Kenyans have the knack for entrepreneurship

So it would be useful to consider the most vulnerable around us.

We cannot talk about community if we don’t mention safety and security.

Tens of Kenyans have been killed in the North Rift (your home area) due to banditry.

Tens of people lose their lives to crimes in cities and towns…

Kidnappings and mysterious disappearances are on the increase.

How will your government create confidence that all Kenyans are safe?

During campaigns, your team was preoccupied with convincing us that your political allies were being targeted by the past administration. 

Now you are in charge of the instruments of coercion.

How can you use this to the advantage of poor and vulnerable Kenyans who’ve not seen their loved ones for weeks, months or even years?

BONUS: CORRUPTION

I know this is a pet subject for your political opponents.

It is so because it matters.

Remember 6.9 million Kenyans voted for your opponent to a great extent due to his promise to tackle corruption.

Also, corruption seems to cause immense leakage of our public cofers.

Dealing with it might help regenerate fortunes that would have been lost.

Tackling corruption should be seen to be bearing fruit.

Individuals suspected of committing economic crimes should be arrested, charged, prosecuted and if found guilty, convicted.

But of course, it will take guts to pull this one knowing all too well the cases piled on the heads of some of your political associates (no offence).

But I wish you all the best because you’re our president.

CONCLUSION

We have hope in you sir.

Do your best and we’ll support you.

Kindest regards

JOHN MMBAGA