One of the big questions that continue to dominate political discourse today is which citizens present abilities to become Kenya’s alternative Presidents as we seek to move away from the political dynasties of the Kenyattas, Odingas and Mois.
Previously, choosing who to elect as President has been a headache for Kenyans because little was on the table on the person’s management competencies.
A key challenge has been to know a person’s ability to come up with social transformative ideas.
The only platforms where potential presidents would demonstrate their abilities was at the Cabinet level.
But here too, they had to act as the President directed and also respect the principle of Collective Responsibility.
The best attempt at the position was retired President Mwai Kibaki in whose reign several initiatives were started.
Among them is agreeing to allow MPESA to operate despite the regulatory weaknesses, setting Kenya at the centre of global fininancial technlogy (Fintech) innovations.
Kibaki also introduced the Boda Bodas, the Internet submarine cables that have made internet cheap and fast, started reforms at the National Hospital Insurance Fund, free primary education.
He initiated the reconstruction of Thika Road, reformed the National Youth Service and a introduced a Stimulus Package that availed money at the grassroots triggering higher demand for goods and services.
Will governors become future Kenya’s alternative presidents?
Thank God for devolution as it is easier now to gauge such abilities of leaders based on their performance as governors.
This means that future presidents will most likely be former governors if Kenyans decide to elect a President based on management skills and innovativeness rather than ethnic considerations.
So far, a few have demonstrated their abilities for social transformation through ideas and innovation. They include;
Kibutha Kibwana – The Mango Revolution
The distinguished law professor, a former Cabinet Minister and a second liberation hero is the Governor of Makueni County.
Among his key achievements is to end the cycle of poverty among the mango and dairy farmers in Makueni.
Makueni produces some of the sweetest and juicy mangoes in Kenya. For many years, however, the mangoes have been bought at a throwaway price by brokers. Others rotted away for lack of market.
But today, mangoes are big business and are contributing to poverty alleviation in Makueni.
They are being processed into pulp which is sold to the fruit juice processors thanks to Kalamba Fruit Processing Plant set up by the county government.
The realization of the high value of the formerly neglected crop is fueling a mango revolution in Kenya with the fruit increasingly getting a positive reputation.
Currently, a campaign to fight pests that affect mangoes has been started in Makueni in order to facilitate the export of the fruit.
Last year, Kivutha’s government also launched the Kathonzweni Milk Processing Plant which processes and packages 1,000 litres of milk per hour.
He certainly belongs to the pool of Kenya’s alternative Presidents.
Mwangi wa Iria – Avocado and Dairy Revolution
There is a reference to avocado fruits in Kikuyu language that refers to them as “maguna ngui”, simply meaning they rescue dogs from hunger.
Why? Because dogs do love to eat avocado. How did the people know that? Because there were so many excess avocadoes every season, for lack of market and dogs would feast on the decaying fruits.
That tag affected avocado so much that it was a non-issue crop despite its high nutritional value and economic potential.
But today, that story is different. Farmers across the country are planting avocadoes because of the realization of the existing global market and their nutritional value.
Today, a New Zealand company is setting a factory in Kenol, Murang’a County to process avocado oil.
Other companies like Kakuzi as well a small cooperative in the rural areas have organized to grow, buy, process and package avocado for export.
An avocado fruit that cost 50cents just a few years ago now costs at least Sh6. Today, avocado trees are highly valued and protected by farmers.
All this is courtesy to Mwangi Wa Iriria, the Governor of Murang’a County who is credited with starting the avocado revolution and sustaining it to a level where the crop has become part of the main food export agenda of the national government.
The governor also initiated an own-a-dairy cow initiative in Murang’a which has enabled an exponential increase in milk production.
He capped this with a milk processing and packaging company that is owned by farmers through cooperative societies, known as Murang’a Cooperative Creameries
Wa Iria is also credited with initiating reforms at the New KCC, when he was its Managing Director. He certainly belongs to the pool of Kenya’s alternative Presidents.
Wycliffe Oparanya – Focused on impact projects
When you see the before and after pictures of the Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega, then you will start to understand the development mindset of Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
Consider that in all the 47 counties, no other governor has succeeded in renovating a stadium to the status of Bukhungu. Even the stadiums promised by Jubilee government have never been actualized.
Oparanya has emerged from being a technocrat to a respected, sober politician among Kenyans and his peers. He has just been elected the Chairman of the Council of Governors for a second term.
Among his key, socially transformative projects include the ongoing construction of the Sh10 billion teaching and referral hospital.
Others include the planned milk processing and packaging factory, a tea factory and a maize milling factory.
His government has constructed classroom blocks for 25 schools, pumping Sh20 million in for each block of about eight classrooms and offices.
It involves the construction of a storey building that has classrooms, an office for the principal and his deputy, a staff room and a library. There are such two for every sub-county.
Governor Oparanya certainly belongs to the pool of Kenya’s alternative Presidents.
Coincidentally, all three potential Presidents are at the helm of the Council of Governors leadership.