WITH less than two years to the August 2017 elections, President Uhuru Kenyatta is under pressure to fulfil most of the Jubilee Coalition promises this year.
The promises made ahead of the 2013 elections will be a key campaign issue for 2017, with heightened political activity expected this year.
Uhuru will be under pressure to show Kenyans the multi-billion-shilling projects the government is involved in have any benefit for the mwananchi.
In his New Year’s message, Uhuru said his government was looking forward to building on the progress made since coming to power in 2013.
Other than delivering on its ambitious manifesto, the Jubilee administration is expected to deal with wastage and corruption, which are shaping up as a key campaign issue.
In 2015, Uhuru signalled his intent to deal with corruption, and Kenyans will be expecting to see this translate into action, especially in securing convictions, assets seizures and reparations.
In his New Year message, Cord leader Raila Odinga said that one commitment for the opposition in 2016 is to expose corruption in government.
Key among issues that Uhuru is expected to work on this year is the threat of unemployment, having promised to create at least one million jobs annually.
According to government data, the economy generated a total of 742,300 new jobs in both the formal and informal sectors in 2013 and 799,000 in 2014.
While more money has been set aside for youth empowerment, many young people still do not have access, due to government red tape.
Jubilee had aimed at an economic growth of 7 to 10 per cent but this has not been achieved, with the economy growing at above 5 per cent but below 6 per cent.
The World Bank estimated that Kenya’s economy would grow at 5.4 per cent in 2015, 5.7 per cent for 2016 and 6.2 per cent for 2017.
To enhance industrialisation, the Jubilee Coalition said it would seek to improve the energy infrastructure and promote alternative energy sources to create energy supply that business can rely on.
Despite high investment in energy production, lowering the cost of electricity has yet to translate into cheaper commodities for the common man.
Uhuru has promised to launch a programme to build 8,000 kilometres of new tarmacked roads across the country in 2016.
“The first batch, totalling 1,700 kilometres, will be launched this January. A second batch of 1,800 kilometres will be launched in March. I appeal to the governors to fully support this programme,” Uhuru said in his New Year address.
The Uhuru government will also be under pressure to prove that the multi-billion-shilling Galana-Kulalu Irrigation Project is not just another white elephant.
There have been questions over the project’s viability, following the poor yield it produced last year, despite Sh4 billion having been invested.
In 2015, the government started working on the delivery of effective, modern, hi-tech healthcare, despite opposition to a medical equipment management programme by the governors.
Uhuru said that in addition to the national, referral hospitals, Kenya will have two hospitals in every county equipped with facilities to screen and treat conditions that have caused patients, in the past, to travel abroad at great cost.
"Already we have equipped 15 hospitals and our target is to complete the remainder by June 2016 to bolster access to health services. Additionally the Government has in place a programme for 100 fully fitted containerised clinics with particular focus being improved services to informal settlements," Uhuru said.
Though, the Jubilee administration has increased spending in the education sector, there are still major challenges.
The recent teachers’ strike and unending wrangles over their pay underscores the challenges in the education sector that the Jubilee administration has been unable to deal with.
There is the laptop for schools project that has not been implemented three years on and Uhuru will have to do it this year before becomes a campaign issue.
Land reforms will continue to be a pain on Uhuru's neck with Jubilee having promised to establish a mandatory national land title register, abolish land control boards and search fees and control development through local zoning policies.
Already, there are accusations that the Executive has taken to Parliament a raft of land laws that undermine the process of reforms.
As at December 2015, there were still 80,000 Kenyans living in Internally Displaced Persons camps across the country.
One of Jubilee's key promises was to ensure that all IDPs are resettled immediately.Despite heavy investment in security equipment, Uhuru's administration appears not to have a full grasp of the situation.
With an upsurge in terror threats and attacks towards the end of 2015, Uhuru is under pressure to ensure that insecurity does not become a campaign.
"In 2016, we will endeavour to make Kenya even more safer for all Kenyans and our visitors. My Government will continue to reach out to all communities to strengthen National Cohesion, and Unity," Uhuru said.
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