Ideas & Debate

After tackling criminality, let’s turn to other reforms

UK

President Uhuru Kenyatta. FILE PHOTO | NMG

If 2018 began as a decidedly pessimistic moment, there seems to be an air of cautious optimism this year. This mood was rocked slightly, but not dampened, by this week’s terror attack in Nairobi, with much public praise going to the speedy multi-agency response by our national security personnel.

To be sure, the incident was an important reminder that Kenya and Kenyans must maintain eternal vigilance in the battle to counter terrorism and violent extremism, and their contributory factors.

My sense is that President Uhuru Kenyatta has, in Formula One motor racing terms, between 102 and 156 weeks, or two to three years, of “clean air” (out in front; every other driver behind him) in which to embark on an ambitious reform agenda to solidify his legacy.

Yes, Kenyans will still be preoccupied with the economy, the fiscals and debt; “building bridges” and the referendum; the census and the boundary review; and the 2022 succession. Call these the “dirty air” moments he must navigate.

There’s also the “Big Four”, which a quick reading of the 2019 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) suggests is getting more ambitious by the day. And beyond food, health, housing and jobs, the BPS promises over 8,000 kilometres of new roads plus construction of the six lane Mombasa-Nairobi expressway. Add completion of the final 15 per cent of SGR Phase 2A (Nairobi to Naivasha, apparently 85 per cent is already done!), commencement of SGR Phase 2B (Naivasha to Kisumu, including modernization of the port), completion of the first three berths of Lamu port (LAPPSET), and phase two of the second container terminal, as well as the new Dongo Kundu free port in Mombasa.

Throw in the remodeling and upgrading of three terminals at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, 100 per cent access to affordable and reliable energy (from 67 per cent today) and 80 per cent access to safe water (from 60 per cent today). And that’s just the infrastructure, energy and water “enablers” of the ‘Big Four”. Three “reform” areas come to mind. First — with this week’s terror attacks in mind — the integrated national digital information infrastructure that was Mr Kenyatta’s own pet project in 2014.

This is the infrastructure that links all people in Kenya (citizens, permanent residents, foreign nationals, refugees and others) to establishments (companies, cooperatives, societies and others), and all people and establishments to all land (digital maps and physical addressing) and assets (buildings, shares, vehicles, livestock) as an integrated digital solution (smart IDs, digital (RFID) certificates.

Through six core registries – persons, immigration and border management, companies, establishments, land and assets. Building on current ICT efforts such as NTSA’s Transport Information Management System (TIMS). I simply cannot get around the idea that this would be good for public safety and security, as well as improved governance and public services delivery and socio-economic planning for development. I am convinced that this could be done together with the census; and would provide a future basis for the sort of continuous census that happens in places like Finland and Sweden. Second, small and medium enterprise (SME) development.

It’s time for some real thinking on SMEs that moves beyond throwing money at them. One Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) framework I often use in discussing this subject with, mainly, county governments — where we expect income opportunities and job creation for young Kenyans to happen — identifies four business environment factors that affect SME performance.

One, the institutional and regulatory framework (regulation, courts and law, taxation, competition and public governance). Two, entrepreneurial culture (abilities, attitudes and opportunities).

Three, access to markets (domestic demand conditions, trade and investment policy, public procurement (as a market) and infrastructure).

Four, access to resources (human capital and skills, knowledge, technology and innovation, energy and finance). This needs to become our next “pet project”, economic security.

Finally, government reform, but thought about differently. I have always argued that Kenya deserves more “joined-up” (coordinated) government at the national and county levels. To do this we must move beyond traditional “silo” mentality that infests and infects government. So here’s a thought. We’ve all seen the recent success of “multi-agency” efforts in the war on corruption, counterfeits and other criminality, on the conduct of national examinations and in this week’s anti-terror effort. How do we now get this joined up approach to work for the “softer stuff”, like the “Big Four”?

Food for thought.