Publisher's Synopsis
On 9th August, 2022, all things being equal, Kenyans will go to the polls to elect a new President, Deputy President, governors, members of parliament, senators, MCAs and Women Reps. It is an important election in which the current president will not be running, where his deputy is a leading contender, and the entirety of which has procured a lot of heated political rhetoric. But what about ordinary wananchi, who must elect new leaders, and who are dealing with all manner of challenges - social, economic, cultural, infrastructural, healthcare, quality of life, educational, food security, insecurity, among others? What is in the election for them? Are the candidates speaking to the disappointments, hopes (and fears) of the citizen?
This is both an identification of the major issues that Kenya(ns) are confronting at the present time, and an outline of public policy proposals to change the face, circumstances and destiny of Kenya and Kenyans through the upcoming election. The author, Stephen Magu, is humbled and conscious that offering an Independent Candidacy for the 5th President of Kenya is a monumental responsibility, one that is not to be taken lightly. Kenya's past top leadership has promised much, delivered some, and left a lot to be done. It often appears unable to resolve some of our most significant challenges such as corruption, poverty, hunger, food insecurity, infrastructure, cost of education and basic goods, etc. It is time to do these things. It is not just time; it is necessary, overdue and imperative that we talk about policies, not people; about public policy, not political parties; about our common challenges and destiny, not this or that leader. This is a campaign for A Better Kenya, a campaign but more importantly, a movement to change how Kenya does business, politics, and to offer Kenyans a better path to progress, to uplift ourselves and our neighbors and to fulfill the dreams and objectives of our founding fathers envisioned almost 60 years ago. It is also a campaign that will only engage with the issues, rather than the personalities or leaders who also seek election to the presidency of Kenya. There is a different way to do politics, a way that brings out the best in all of us. The campaign and movement welcomes robust debate, correction, critique and other engagement, but will only choose to submit and engage around public policy issues and debates. So, my fellow Kenyans, welcome, and let's deliberate and create A Better Kenya.
