EFFECT OF BAD GOVERNANCE IN KENYA

From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015

Rose from Kericho writes: “Fr Beste I was so happy when I saw Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth of Kisumu in an exclusive interview with Waumini Communications Limited at the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) General Secretariat, saying Catholic Bishops in Kenya have contributed 2.5 Million, equivalent to 30,000 US Dollars to alleviate hunger in Turkana County.

I was so excited when I saw His Excellency Charles Daniel Balvo, the Popes representative to Kenya extending a cheque of one million shillings to the Bishop of Lodwar, Rt. Rev. Dominic Kimengich, towards general food distribution to households and school feeding program on February 3, 2014.

Now Fr Beste, my worry is that, do you think the Government of Kenya is going to heed to the call by Zacchaeus Okoth to find a way of utilizing the discovered large volume of water in Turkana that geologists say can feed Kenya for 70 year to eradicate poverty in the region through irrigation?”

This was a good concern by the Kenya Catholic Conference of Bishops Rose. The bishops had asked each diocese to contribute Ksh 100,000 towards that. Turkana falls under Lodwa Diocese that is why His Excellency Charles Daniel Balvo presented the cheque to the bishop of Lodwa.

Your worry whether Kenya Government will heed to Archbishop Okoth’s call for irrigation is a worry of the majority of Kenyans, Turkana and Pokot included. There are several reasons why Kenya Government won’t bother implementing irrigation schemes in Turkan and elsewhere in semi-arid areas.

One major reason is to do with bad leadership and governance in Kenya. Poor governance as a result of leaders not implementing reform agendas, not ensuring the citizens have access to basic needs, non accountability, passing of policies and laws that oppress people, not fighting impunity providing an environment where citizens don’t enjoy their rights.

This includes the manipulation of electoral process to remain in power, failure to uphold independence, failure of police and other security to keep law and order, misuse of public funds by government officials for their personal benefit, and voluntary or forced bribery by citizens to obtain services which they should be entitled to.

It explains why in Kenya, corruption in public institutions has been a telling indicator of wider governance-related problems, such as lack of democratic space for Kenyan citizens and insufficient government interest in political reform.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com

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