AN OVER-BURDENED TAXPAYER

On May 1, 2013 the then newly-elected president announced a 14% increment on the minimum wages which was received with a lot of jubilation by the workers who fall under this category and their union representatives. Four months down the line, I feel this was a slap in the face of the workers considering the recent changes in the taxation regime of the current government. I am cognizant of the fact that taxation is the primary source of revenue for the government but for a nation where 40% of the population is unemployed and the greater part of the 60% who are employed are on the minimum wage, the increasing tax burden could lead to some undesirable outcomes for the government.

Let me use the example of an average Kenyan worker who is solely dependently on his salary understand the various taxes that s/he has to pay even before s/he starts spending the money on his/her personal needs. The first order of business is to deduct PAYE from the salary – with the new minimum wage increment almost all employees in the formal sector are now eligible to pay PAYE. Most employers process salaries of their workers through the bank; the employee has then to pay 10% excise duty on all banking charges. From the bank, the employee rushes to his/her landlord to pay the monthly rent which some unscrupulous landlords have increased by more than 16% since the government started enforcing the law on taxation of rental income. The next stop is the supermarket where the monthly bill is expected to have gone up by more than 16% due to the enforcement of the new VAT Act. It is not even 10th but as the employee leaves the supermarket s/he is already searching his brains on how s/he will take care of his/her needs for the rest of the month. Mindless of the agonies the wanainchi are going through, various government agencies are already plotting to have NSSF contributions increased to 6% of a workers monthly earnings and the NHIF contributions increased by more than 100% of the current contributions.

I know the government has to seek revenue from all avenues in order to meet its recurrent and development expenditures but it also needs to listen to the concerns of its citizenry otherwise it will soon have a food revolution on its hands. Going by the look of things, the only motivation to employment will be to avoid idleness and not the monetary gain.

My Simplistic Governance Roadmap!

I believe the President and his deputy ("dynamic duo" à la Ubako) have a God-sent opportunity to not only reshape the destiny of this nation but to change the perspective that the international community, their detractors and the civil society have about them. If I had the chance to be either of them I would focus on a number of issues.

One of the areas that I would focus on is National Healing and Cohesion. The country underwent a very divisive campaign and electoral period and in some quarters the emotions are still very high after they lost out in the plebiscite and the subsequent petition. The nation has also since the colonial time undergone some very difficult times during which a lot of injustices were committed by the ruling elite and their cohorts. Urgent national healing is required so that the supporters of those that lost out can feel that indeed they are still part of this great Nation. I would thus recommend a Peace, Healing and Cohesion Initiative to be undertaken by the current constitutional bodies that we have in place such as NCIC, TJRC, KHREC, CAJ and NGEC. I would also ensure that the TJRC commission report is speedily received (this has already happened), released to the public in its entirety (thanks to the commission we don’t have to wait for the president to do so) and recommendations of the report put into action of course through public involvement and participation (with main political players across the divide adversely mentioned I await to see delivery of justice and reconciliation). I would also ensure that other reports by commissions of inquiry are released for public consumption and recommendations adequately addressed. As a way of addressing historical injustices and bringing about national healing, I would also embark on speedy resettlement of all genuine IDPs and ensure they are appropriately and adequately compensated for their losses.

Dear Aspiring Governor for Mombasa County,

I write to you as a concerned resident.

I have been a resident of Mombasa for the last ten years and during this period I have come face to face with the many problems faced by residents of Mombasa County and the Coast province at large. These problems can squarely be attributed to failed leadership. As we enter into the final stretch of the campaigns, those seeking elective positions in Mombasa especially the gubernatorial position should clearly tell us how they will deal with these problems. Mombasa lies at the shores of the Indian Ocean and for this reason it offers sand and sun to tourists mostly from the European nations during winter season. Being a tourist resort and seaport town it is expected that communication and transport infrastructure, waste disposal and sewerage systems and security among others will be of the highest standards. However the story on the ground is entirely a different one altogether.

Moi International Airport is the entry point for most domestic and international tourists visiting the various touristic destinations in Mombasa. As one drives from the airport to the Makupa causeway he/she encounters endless traffic jams and roadside structures not reflective of the tourist resort town that Mombasa is. I wonder what first impression we want to create to our esteemed visitors. The drive along Kibarani section of the Makupa causeway is another of the many unpleasant drives one will have all the way to their destination. For years now the Mombasa Municipal Council (MMC) has been using the section between the Makupa causeway on your left as you drive out of town and the creek next to the port as a dumpsite. This has attracted all sorts of scavengers including human. The smoke from burning refuse combined with the stench from decaying waste matter leaves the place with one hell of a smell - it gets worse during the rainy season. This section of the road is also hilly or sloppy depending on whether you are driving from or to the island and because of the many trucks collecting or dropping containers to the port or various CFSs around the port, its also prone to endless traffic jams with many man hours lost here. Now Mr. Aspiring Mombasa Governor, how does this reflect on the first-time tourists to Mombasa? What plans do you intend to put in place to deal with the dumpsite? How do you intend to decongest the town and most especially around the port? How do you intend to improve the road infrastructure around and along the airport so that visiting tourists, investors and other business people or even the residents of these environs do not waste precious time in traffic jams?

SOAR HIGH UP WITH THE EAGLE!

We are in that period again when we spend all our energies arguing on who is best suited to lead the nation. Like many of you I too have my preferred candidates for the various positions. When I started on this post I had intended to drum support for my preferred presidential candidate but as I progressed I felt that the qualities of an eagle (Eagle being the coalition of my candidate of choice) are indeed qualities that we should look for in the candidates up for election regardless of their sponsoring parties. I thus put down why I feel EAGLE leadership is what we require in Kenya:

1. Eagles have a vision: We have an economic blueprint namely Vision2030 and for us to actualize this vision we too require visionary leadership. If you are tired of the old rhetoric from our overly recycled and reused leaders then look no further than the visionary leadership of an Eagle.
2. Eagles are fearless: An eagle uses the currents of a storm to soars to greater heights. Likewise, the Eagle leadership will take us to greater heights by taking challenges head-on. Our country faces a myriad of challenges and for us to wade out of the murk we need fearless leaders. And in fearless I don't mean fearless when it comes to hitting brick walls with their bare knuckles or when hurling stones at the opposition.
3. Eagles are high flyers:  An eagle is the only bird that can fly up to an altitude of 10,000. I believe under an eagle leadership Kenya will be on the right trajectory. We have been told time and again that at independence Kenya was in the same economic standing with Malaysia and South Korea, today the difference is as big as the distance between Kenya and these countries. We thus need a leader who will steer the country to the right economic flight path and fly us high up above the stormy economic weather.
4. Eagles never eat dead meat: Are you a scavenger or an eagle? By voting back the overly reused and tired leaders you are only proving that you are a scavenger. On March 4, 2013 become an eagle – vote for fresh ideas, vote for visionary leaders who are both fearless and high flyers. An eagle leader will spend time with people who are vibrant and liberal in their thinking and not hobnobbing with his/her fellow bourgeoisie.
5. Eagles possess vitality:  An eagle leader is full of life and a visionary but he/she finds time to look back and reenergize. Great leaders are the ones that always do “check and balance” of their personal and professional lives and make an effort to learn things every day. This is the jubilee year for Kenya; a year for us to take stock. Look back at how far we have come, look forward at where we want to be, then pause and ask yourselves these questions; is this the best we could have done? What or who held us back? What do we need to do to cover up on the lost ground? The answer to the last question lies in your pocket or purse – use it wisely.
6. Eagles nurture their young ones: Need I say more to the youth of this country. We need a leader who will empower our youthful generation, a leader who will create opportunities for the youth. We have lost some many youthful people in crime, drugs, HIV/AIDS and this is the time to put a stop to this.

Whoever you choice is, vote wisely and above all maintain peace!