<div dir="ltr"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Dear Friends / Listers</font><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Robert F
Kennedy once said, <i>“</i>… <i>the
future is not a gift: it is an achievement. Every generation helps make its own future. This is the essential challenge of the
present.” </i>This future,
Eleanor Roosevelt said, <i>“</i>… <i>belongs
to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.</i>” Further, an African Proverb goes,<i> “</i>… <i>tomorrow belongs to the people who
prepare for it today.”</i></font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><i><br></i></font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">The year 2013
is Kenya’s year of Jubilee. Kenya will
be 50 years old as a nation. That will
be older than many Kenyans are or hope to be. So, 2013 is a year of great significance. On Monday, March 4, 2013, Kenya continues with
the heady and momentous transition currently on going at all levels. This General Election will usher in Kenya’s
fourth President, 47 Governors, 67 Senators, at least 348 Members of Parliament
and up to 2,121 County Assembly Representatives. This will be in addition to major structural
changes in government and governance across the country. </font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br>
</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">With this
effort, Kenya will be implementing a most ambitious social re-engineering
programme. We, as a people, are on a
journey that will either unite or divide us for a long time to come. We seat on the cusp of change with profound
implications for generations born and yet to be born in this country, our
region and continent. It is an ambitious
project of rebuilding the Kenyan nation.
The air is pregnant with possibility beyond our wildest imagination. But it is also fraught with dangers that could
render Kenya unviable as we know it. Every voting Kenyan must ask what future they
wish to bestow to their children as they queue, receive and cast their
ballots. It is about our future, our
children’s future, our nation Kenya.</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">As a country we
are facing several challenges. We have a
high and rising population growth rate at 2.7 percent per annum, accompanied by
an on-going demographic shift: a youthful, relatively skilled and urbanising
population that is underemployed and unemployed. The youth, age 15 – 24, comprise 43% of
Kenya’s population, with a 24% open unemployment rate. The population 34 years and below comprises
78.8% of the total population. The
economy, growing at 4.4% in 2011 and expanding by 4.7% in the third quarter of
2012, is performing below the Kenya Vision 2030 targets of an average of 10% per
annum. According to the Health Sector
Working Group, Kenya’s disease burden remains high, with 80% of Kenyans
vulnerable to Malaria infections, with an inpatient morbidity rate of 16%. We remain a water scarce nation, with 647 m<sup>3</sup>
per person per year compared to the benchmark 1000m<sup>3</sup> per person per
year. This has significant implications
for the economy, food and nutrition security and general social order. </font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"></font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Notwithstanding
these challenges, there are bright spots that we can and must leverage. There remains enormous potential in the
country if we successfully leverage the demographic dividend about to take
place in the country. The emerging
natural resource boom, comprising oil, gold, coal, rare earth metals and iron
ore to name a few, well managed, is key to Kenya’s rapid and sustained economic
take off. The peace dividend sweeping the
region provides opportunities beyond measure for creation of long term wealth,
for the region and for us. Our place as
innovators per excellence has been established by the mobile money phenomenon
that is MPESA. We are the global
leaders. Realisation of the technopolis
that is Konza City, the Silicon Savannah, will set us apart and establish us as
<b><i>primus
inter pares</i></b> in the region and continent. And who knows, globally.</font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br>
</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">The challenges
and opportunities we must deal with are set against a backdrop of global and
domestic issues, including the global financial crisis, euro-zone crisis,
aftershocks of the post-election violence and the threat of terrorism. This election represents the second door we
must unlock and close, if we are to deal with our challenges and leverage the
opportunities for our long term benefit.
The first was promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.</font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br>
</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">The hard work
necessary for Kenya to progress is premised on pursuing a national development
agenda that leverages Kenya’s assets. Domestically, we will need to focus on growing
the economy, climate change adaptation, ensure food and nutrition security,
dealing with inequality and poverty, create good jobs, make government work and
rebuild trust in public institutions, as well as harness devolution and urbanization.
Our infrastructure, though fairly developed, is still a major constraint for
Kenya’s growth and the fortunes of its neighbours. This situation must be addressed by building
infrastructure to support cost effective delivery of basic services as well as
support meaningful regional integration.</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Kenya’s
domestic prospects are linked to its ability to work well with and within the
region and the continent. This requires
that we pursue effective and meaningful regional integration and strengthen
Kenya’s leadership role within the region. Kenya must effectively engage in regional
peace and counter terrorism initiatives, especially considering that the
emerging peace dividend in the region is still tenuous. </font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">As
globalisation and regionalisation take root, it is necessary for Kenya to
strengthen its ability to engage. We must pursue international and regional
trade competitiveness and support bilateral and multilateral arrangements and
focus on improving Kenya’s image in the world.</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">The Kenya
Scenarios Project identified four futures of development for us, namely El-Nino,
Maendeleo, Katiba Road and the Flying Geese.
Under El-Nino we descended into chaos and there was a collapse of social
order. Maendeleo saw us focused on
development only and nothing else mattered. On the other hand, the Katiba Road
scenario saw political freedoms being exercised in economically strained times.
The Flying Geese scenario combined
political reform coupled with economic growth. These scenarios, which we have fairly ignored,
are not about predicting the future but rather they should help us to
understand the trending of events that will impact our welfare. Such knowledge
is necessary if Kenyans have to progress. </font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br>
</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">A review of
Kenya’s performance, so far, shows elements of the first three scenarios and
probably describes our below-expected-performance from independence to date. Kenya Vision 2030 is the country’s articulation
of the Flying Geese Scenario. Implementation of the Constitution of Kenya in
2010 is our initial down payment for realisation of the Kenya Vision 2030. </font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br>
</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Therefore, what
trends will affect our future and how do we use or deal with them to ensure our
overall prosperity? For Kenya, it is
important to understand how, the demographic changes taking place, the diffusion
of power brought about by implementation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, and
the growing nexus between energy, water, land and food, will impact the country.
How will they affect the future we want
and who should we be partnering with to enable us manage our development? What should our development policy be? What should we manage, grow or ignore? Is our growth path acceptable? Are our development policies dependent on
decisions or actions from sources far beyond our control and ability to
influence? What must we do? Will Kenya
be the same 50 years from now? What kind
of Kenya are we looking to see and what must we do to achieve that future? There should be no doubt that the choices we
make now will define the options and possibilities we can leverage tomorrow.</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">A diagnosis of
these issues suggests that there are significant weaknesses in the institutions
of managing the nation, a matter that the Constitution of Kenya 2010 sets out
to address. Governance is going to be
key to carrying forward a united Kenya. But
this is only part of the story. The
details of the operationalisation, integration and coordination of these
institutions will determine whether we will achieve Kenya’s ‘flying geese’
scenario and emerge as a strong, united and leading nation in Africa and the
world or we will fail.</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Therefore, as
Kenyans, on March 4, 2013 work towards the selection of the shepherds who will
take them forward, we argue that Kenyans must ask their leaders what they
intend to do about these issues. You
must vote based on your answers to these questions. It is our responsibility to interrogate the
solutions they propose and determine who offers the best solution. As the Chairperson of the Kenya Institute of
Planners recently put it, <b><i>“… the next three years and the choices
Kenyans make about the leadership at the national and county government levels
will determine the outcome of Kenya’s nationhood going forward.”</i></b></font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><b><i><br>
</i></b></font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Kenyans should
listen to the African proverb that says, “when the music changes, so does the
dance”. Whatever our differences, we
still will remain as Kenyans. To do
otherwise would be an unforgivable betrayal of those who sacrificed in the past
and of the trust of those for whom we strive to build for tomorrow. </font></span></p><p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br>
</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">If we believe
in a future for Kenya, in the beauty of our dreams for it, we must vote
peacefully and wisely. Because, the
future Kenya records, depends on the decision, you and you alone, make at the
ballot box.</font></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:6pt 0cm;line-height:125%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:125%"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"> </font></span></p><div style><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Kind regards</font></div>
<div style><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div style><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><p><a name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter__MailAutoSig"><span lang="EN-GB"><font size="4" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Eric Aligula Magolo</font></span></a></p>
<p></p><p><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height:115%;color:black"><font size="4" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><i>"Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counsellors
there is safety." (Proverbs XI:14)</i></font></span></p><p></p></div>
</div></div>