New Cabinet’s first task is to pull Kenya from brink

It has been a rollercoaster of a season these last two months. What started as an intense debate over the finance bill that the President later rejected after it was passed in Parliament morphed into a street battle that left dozens of people dead and many more injured or scarred.

The protesters overran Parliament and picketed on the streets for weeks, and even now, it is not clear the direction that their discomfort will take. In the meantime, the President dismissed his Cabinet, announced plans to reform laws dealing with corruption and is promising to do better going forward. All these played to the international audience.

The opposition has roiled in confusion. The protesters never identified with any political ideology. All they wanted was good governance and for those in power to listen. The protesters’ high-ground approach caught the opposition flat-footed, and it is not clear whether they will recover.

There is no telling which direction the opposition will take. Some of them are in the government. Their leader is gleeful that their political side has lent some expertise to the government.

It is truly a case of eating your cake and simultaneously keeping it. If ODM is to be believed, the party’s members remain in the opposition, providing oversight to the government and simultaneously advising the government.

The larger opposition movement, however, is in turmoil. One affiliate party has given notice to move out of the political arrangement; reports are that the coalition’s leadership is being contested. Given the different directions the parties are pulling, whether the opposition as a unit can mount an effective role in the emerging structure is, as of now, a matter of conjecture.

Apart from the swearing-in of a new Cabinet, there is no indication that much has changed or will change in how the government responds to the needs of Kenyans. The President’s penchant for making campaign-style speeches and issuing promises from the top of his vehicle on the roadside continues.

It is too early to judge how the Cabinet sworn in yesterday will perform. Of the 19 men and women, more than half were part of the old structure, and some of them were given their old dockets. It will be a while before the difference will be clear.

However, to compound the matters, there is the case of a Deputy President who seems to be pulling in a different direction, an indication of a divided government that the country can ill afford.

Kenya is forever in a campaign mood. Those eyeing political positions in the 2027 general election are already sharpening their knives and readying their dogs for the hunt. It has been reported that the former minister for Interior, Fred Matiangi, is already exploring his chances with a strategy designed to introduce him to the external publics in readiness for the launch of his campaign for the presidency. More are likely to follow.

A weakened administration, as the current one looks, allows for wild dreams to fester. There will be plenty of ne’er-do-wells who would position themselves as the sure fit for the Gen Z dreams whether they understand it or can deliver.

The country can only afford to be in this state of fluid formation for a short time. A prolonged state of appearance of instability has its consequences. It has a bearing on attracting confidence for investment and inspiring citizens to do better.

Protests on the streets cannot continue for long. The new government sworn in must swing into quick action to bring back confidence. Further, the government must be seen to be sensitive and attentive to the public to deliver on the promise of good governance and confidence and cut down on wastefulness.

Kenya is not an island. Across the region, neighbouring countries are competitors for the same resources that we seek to attract to our side. Kenya has to show that it is the better option. That is the task of the new administration – to pull Kenya back from the brink.

— The writer is the Dean of Daystar

University’s School of Communication