Thread by @dnjaga1

Was Kibaki the best President so far? I doubt it.

As I said in a previous thread, MISSING KIBAKI IS SHAMEFUL INDICTMENT OF UHURU GOVERNMENT RATHER THAN A SIGN OF KIBAKI’S GREATNESS

tuko.co.ke/390095-kenyans…

To me, the best President remains Jomo Kenyatta.

He made many mistakes:
Betrayed Mau Mau cause
Set a precedent of tribalism by creating Kikuyu hegemony
Set a precedent of corruption through land grabbing.
But I still vote him the best among the 4

Jomo Kenyatta's leadership was much more professional and forward-looking. Kenya laid very strong foundations and institutions under Kenyatta.

The education system, health, agriculture, civil service, strong and strategic parastatal companies

The founding ideology behind institutions like NHIF, NSSF, KCB, Kenya Seed, Agricultural Development/Finance Corporation, Cooperative Bank, KMC, KTDA, etc was very strong and rooted in the national interest and a vision for self-sustainability

These institutions were looted in the 1980s and 90s but have resisted the plunder to this day - because of a strong foundation. Some of course died away.

Moi battered civil service, health and education systems but they are still intact – though giving in now

In comparison, Moi and Kibaki did not found any institution or system that would outlast them. For Moi, this is especially bad given how long he was in leadership.
Everything he started – school milk, Nyayo tea zones, nyayo buses, almost all died. Because they had no roots

Same with Kibaki. No system, no institution no idea. But the biggest betrayal for Kibaki was the failure to lay a foundation for Kenya’s change away from Moi.

This was his mandate and was what he had agreed with colleagues when forming NARC coalition

https://twitter.com/K24Tv/status/1384574781878673411?s=20

But look at Kenyatta. Visit any institution that was initiated after independence – colleges, schools, hospitals, industries, etc.
They were done with a focus on the future rather than immediate self-gratification. They are strong to this day after many years of abuse.

To ensure the policies had deep roots, the Kenyatta cabinet had few changes. Ministers dedicated their lives and career to their work without worrying about “looming reshuffles.”
In primary school, we studied Kenyatta’s cabinet in history classes

So far, the best ministers the country has had are those who served under Kenyatta – like Taita Towett in Education, Kibaki in Finance, Jeremiah Nyaga in Agriculture, James Osogo in Health, Munyua Waiyaki in Foreign Affairs
They stayed long enough to lay futuristic programmes

Ministers under Moi could not commit to even studying the ministries and develop long-term policies. They would be shuffled almost every day and their focus was on survival.
This is how some like Kenneth Matiba and Simeon Nyachae resigned on Moi. They found it petty

When Kibaki constituted his cabinet, it was immediately refreshing. @jaindikisero commented that it was the best in Africa.
Anyang Nyongo in Planning, Mukhisa Kituyi in Trade, Raphael Tuju in Tourism… this was a great team. But the politics of the day ruined the party

Kenyatta was able to inspire Kenyans with a clarion slogan of Harambee. This had a meaning that people would relate to.
That’s how many schools were later called Harambee schools. People everywhere knew they would supplement government effort with “Harambee”

To this day we call self-help activities harambees. We harambee for weddings, medical bills etc. The self-help spirit led Kenya to start one the biggest cooperative movements in Africa.
Institutions like Equity and Family Bank were borne of the seeds of Harambee

Moi tried a "philosophy" called Nyayo with a tag line "peace love and unity." This would have been good if it was followed by action.
But the government undermined all tenets of peace love and unity. Finally, the term Nyayo lost meaning and the slogan rang hollow and died

Why is Jomo Kenyatta so unpopular today. My hypothesis is that it is not Jomo who is unpopular. It is his son Uhuru.
History would have been kind to Kenyatta, for having laid such a strong foundation. Kenya today is still what Jomo Kenyatta founded in the early 70s

Kenya is now falling apart may disintegrate into a failed nation.
Critical systems, like health, security, education are almost collapsing and may become unsalvageable if the current trend continues
They have withstood many years of abuse

The biggest irony to me is that Uhuru is the one killing the institutions founded by his father.

UHURU IS SUCCEEDING IN UNDER 10 YEARS WHAT MOI FAILED FOR 20 YEARS - TO KILL KENYA

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