Now that 2023 is coming to an end, it offers an opportunity for Kenyans from all walks of life and their leaders to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that the year presented.

This, however, should not be an end in itself. It should help all to find ways in which the critical learnings from the ending year can be used to improve the management of public affairs in the New Year.

One of the lessons Kenyans and leaders should reflect on pertains to the cost of living, which has been a thorny issue since the Kenya Kwanza administration took over following the 2022 elections.

Besides economic growth, one other important indicator of a nation’s progress is what the UN calls the National Happiness Index. Kenya has not done well on this score and there is a need, therefore, for those involved in policy formulation and implementation to find ways to improve the overall feeling of well-being of Kenyans in the New Year so that the public stops believing that the country is heading in the wrong direction as opinion polls have shown in 2023.

A new year offers the opportunity for personal and collective growth. However, for that to happen, the right foundation needs to be in place. This is the role of government; to make the public feel that their efforts matter, that the issues they care about are being addressed and that their leaders appreciate the struggles that ordinary Kenyans are going through. Tangible efforts need to be seen to be implemented so that the big issues, like health and education, are prioritised and improved for the benefit of the populace.

2024, therefore, should be the year that those in positions of responsibility — in the public and private sectors — set the tone for the rejuvenation of the country so that the public can see that as a nation that turned 60 this year, we are making steady progress on the path of economic growth and democratisation.

 This ought to be the year that leaders renew their commitment to put the interest of the country and the citizens ahead of their personal aggrandisement and offer a hand up for those oppressed by poverty and diminished economic power to feel that they too are part of the wheel of progress and are not merely spectators in the economy.