The cause of Kenya’s evolution since independence has been one of the remarkable success combined with almost unforgettable failures. The most spectacular success has been our political system.---a functioning democracy in a poor country of enormous diversity in terms of language, religion and the ethnicity. This is probably unparalleled in political history.
Our unforgivable failure is the persistence of acute poverty and destitution. It is a matter of utter shame that nearly fourth years rather four decades after independence, we have any where between one-third and one-fourth of our people desperately poor and denied the minimum of human existence ,large number of illiterates millions of malnourished children and many crippled or blinded.
Apolitical democracy of one adult-one vote co-exist with a highly distorted economic democracy in which voting is the market takes place, according to the purchasing power to marginalize the poor .The tension thus generated is apparently in many distorted forms ,such as the play of religious or tribal identity or regional parochialism ,not to speak of corruption,partronage and nepotism in our politics. And ,despite the fact that the elections becoming freer and more representative ,the quality of democracy seems to be declining fast. We must find ways to correct this by bringing closer our political and economic democracy in more just a society.
Simple minded old answers are grossly inadequate for reducing this gap between our economy and political democracy. Economic ideologues on both sides of the barricade can continue to argue in favour of either state intervention or the magic of the market place through liberalization and globalization. But the former results in wistful and mindless bureaucracy and the latter widening the gap between the rich and the poor. It leaves the poor even marginalized.
This indeed was the main message of the last general election when the’ Kenya shining’ slogans crashed for the ODM and PNU-led coalition ,which took the great pride in liberalising the economy but they may not win the up coming general election. Some essential element is clearly missing in this ideologically coloured debate. And one tend to suspect that neither the pro-state or the pro market view wants to come clean, and place it at the center of the problem for improving the quality of democracy in its current phase. In a way most of us know the broad direction of the direction of the solution. The accountability of our democracy system should be increased but the issue is how to achieve it. It is not our democracy is devoid of accountability but it is largely negative in character. When people get dissatisfied with the government, they register their anger by voting negatively against it –the so called the ‘incumbency factors’. The result is well seldom vote with the hope for positive change this days. We can not trust the our politicians in general and do not “own” the government .This is the basis for development towards a more just society, irresponsible of whether we achieve high rate or low rate of economic growth.
The situation can begin can begin to change only when we recognize that accountability must be continuous ,and not at the time of the election. Accountability must be also be comprehensive to include not only politicians, but also the bureaucrats implementing the day to day decisions .
Right to information movement is the main instrument for moving towards this goal. It will gradually gather the momentum in different parts of country. If the movement for the Right To Information will be put in Act then the ODM-PNU led coalition government should be able to table a RTI Bill as soon as possible.
Then the common wananchi will hold the government resposible by questioning its failures and promise.While this remains an up-hill task remains to be seen.
Thanks!
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