MSHINDI: Time for Uhuru to revise his legacy agenda, perhaps?

It is a bit rich for President Uhuru Kenyatta to pitch the line that his rattling of the ruling party to purge politicians close to Deputy President William Ruto is intended to secure his legacy, whose key planks are the Big 4 Agenda, taming corruption and, latterly, national cohesion through the controversial Building Bridges Initiative.

Four years ago, such aggression and claim would have been believable as he had more air miles to burn.

With barely 24 months left of his leadership, and with the unexpected crippling effects of Covid-19 now demanding a huge chunk of his time and national resources, he simply has no time to fly this country to the famous Canaan, even with political magician Raila Odinga co-piloting.

As Dr Ruto’s presidential ambitions and his aggressive campaigns have not just started, the President is playing the political succession game. Politicians and political parties the world over play it.

Regrettably for Kenya, it is a dazzlingly expensive zero sum game of numbers, where the more populous tribes (with sons and daughters that have amassed wealth) will always lord it over those with fewer numbers. 

I have argued before that the President will not build the number of houses he promised, create the jobs he hoped for through manufacturing, and deliver on the promises of health for all and on food security.

CORRUPTION

The pandemic has upended the Big 4 Agenda, along with virtually all aspects of life. He should now try to institute a work ethic that ensures that budgeted public resources are used in the contemplated manner.

The thievery and sloth endemic in our public service continues to be the yoke that straddles and chokes Kenya’s development efforts.

Billions of funds are wasted through sheer decadence and billions more are stolen through corrupt networks and (political and private sector) cartels that hold the state hostage.

Vast amounts of donor committed funds, grants and advances have remained unused because of indolent civil servants in key positions across the system.

Presidents that deliver results do not tolerate degenerate, corrupt or lazy public employees. Neither should President Kenyatta if he has Parliament and Senate behind him.

Discipline across the system will percolate to the counties, where initial hope and excitement has quickly turned into despair. 

JOB CREATION

As he instils efficiency in the public sector, he needs to give local manufacturing the one advantage it needs to burst the mediocrity bubble of import substitution and little or no value addition in the agricultural sector.

Manufacturing has been crying out for the implementation of a Local Content Mechanism that decrees certain amounts of local content to be used in the manufacture of products intended for sale here.

Countries that have created jobs for their citizens are those that have implemented LCM and enacted laws to enforce compliance.

South Africa has enforced a law that 38 per cent of parts and materials used in the car industry there must contain local content. It is no accident that the automotive industry alone accounts for 6.8 per cent of that country’s GDP! Brazil, Venezuela, India are other examples.

The Nairobi-based Global Institute of Management has proposed an implementation schedule in which household goods should, over a set timeline, contain 30 per cent local content; then bicycles and motorcycles up to 25; followed by motor vehicles and spare parts up to 20 per cent; light industrial and agricultural mechanised equipment up to 25 per cent, and, finally, heavy equipment up to 15 per cent.

WORK ETHIC

To anchor this should be a Local Content Act, an Investment Charter and a Local Content Blueprint. The Trade Ministry is seized of this project and should speedily give it life.

As he plays his succession politics and confronts Covid-19 in the little time left, let Kenyatta instil discipline in the work ethic in public service and deliver a local content mechanism to spur manufacturing.

The writer is a former Chief Editor of the Nation Media Group and is now Managing Partner for Blue Crane Global. (; @tmshindi)