CORD’s strategy of discrediting and attempting to derail every Jubilee project is inappropriate

In an ideal democratic establishment, the work of the opposition is to check government excesses. A strong and objective opposition presents well thought out alternative governance scenarios as a government in waiting. It is thus a major concern for Kenyans when the main opposition, the CORD appears to have little if any idea of this job. In fact, CORD seems to have misinterpreted the entire idea of their role in the political arena or have intentionally decided to skew it to fit their 2017 political narrative – of course at the disadvantage of the common good of all Kenyans.

It is now coming out clearly that CORD have adopted a well crafted strategy of discrediting and maligning every flagship project that the Jubilee administration has brought forth with the sole aim of lowering the pace of implementation and thus painting the Jubilee government as a failed administration. Even more disturbing is the fact that our once objective media has joined the opposition in peddling useless and counterproductive propaganda. This will not just ensure that Jubilee fails to complete these projects before the next election but may also lead to their abandonment all together.

It all began when President Kenyatta took over government and immediately announced free maternal services in public hospitals. CORD moved fast to dismiss the project as a mere publicity stunt that Kenyans should ignore. However, when they realized that the project had been successfully implemented, they changed tune and started claiming that a crisis was looming due to inadequate funding.

Then came the much anticipated free laptops projects for primary school kids in public schools. Despite the numerous logistical concerns that had to be tackled before the implementation of this ambitious project, the Jubilee administration has made enormous progress on the same. Even more encouraging is the fact that, Kenyatta’s government did not just go ahead and implement the project without adequate consideration of facts – they paused to first weigh the available options. Adequate necessary consultations on the same have given birth to a more creative and innovative idea – providing the kids with tablets instead of laptops. This is not only a cheaper deal given the economies of scale the country is likely to benefit from but also helps Kenya be in tandem with the rest of the world which is moving towards tablets, which are energy conserving and more portable. It is thus unfortunate to see the CORD brigade organize press conferences and spend time trying to paint the project as full-blown procurement scandal which it’s not.

On the infrastructural front, the Jubilee administration is making a reality the construction of the first inch of railway in more than a hundred years. The Standard Gauge Railway will be in Nairobi by 2017 but as usual CORD has been busy from the onset trying to scandalize the entire SGR procurement procedure. For weeks, the nation was treated to accusations and counter accusations as CORD propaganda machinery aided by the media hyped imaginary and fictional tendering irregularities allegedly perpetuated during the award of SGR contracts. Eventually, the spin could withstand the test of time and as usual, CORD abandoned it all together.

Whereas the Jubilee administration has moved fast to ensure that the one million acres irrigation project becomes a reality, CORD keeps on saying that the project was untimely. In fact, when President Kenyatta launched the initial 10,000 acres of the Galana-Kulalu model farm, CORD moved fast to condemn the project as premature and established with the necessary feasibility study. This simply leaves Kenyans asking themselves several questions concerning the genuineness of CORD concerns. Are they not aware that food security has been a major concern for a country since independence? Aren’t the same people the first to point fingers on the government when our people die of hunger every year? For how long were Kenyans supposed to die of hunger before the action was taken?

In simple language, CORD propagandists must now learn that Kenyans have been able to unearth the malicious and ill intended schemes by the fake reformists who seek to derail the development agenda for their own selfish political gains. If CORD cannot constructively criticize government, then let them leave the job to some other serious people who mean well for the current and future generations of our beloved nation.