It is not easy for me to have a tête-à-tête with the President due to the bureaucratic cordon around him and probably due to my political value to him. I’m just an ordinary Kenyan. We also have enormous ideological differences to sail on the same ship.
But despite the differences, we are bound together under one belt, Kenya. It is, therefore, a constitutional obligation as a Kenyan to comment and give input on matters affecting the nation, for it is part of nation-building.
Participation in nation-building is not just about paying taxes, casting votes, planting trees or shovelling and then chilling at home drinking porridge. No, engaging in discussions and sharing ideas too is considered noble in the development process of a country.
Mine is a non-violent approach and I hope to catch the eye of the president, his advisors and policy makers.
Kenya is on its knees, on its deathbed, as citizens stare at a bleak future induced by its leadership. The Kenya Kwanza method of over-taxation is not going to spur growth but is a heavy yoke choking the nation.
Already, businesses are closing shop due to the high cost of operations, from high fuel cost to managing high wage bills due to Rutoeconomics, that of over-taxation.
The housing levy not only requires employees to contribute 1.5 per cent of their gross earnings but has also puts a similar obligation on employers to match the contribution.
It is an unbearable weight crumbling the job industry and stifling growth. Employers are left with three matters – pay the taxes, trim the number of employees and operations or close shop, perish. Many are now closing down, unable to pamper the state.
We are told we are building houses, modern homes. The question is, who then will occupy the homes if we are killing jobs? Creating jobs in the building industry by 'robbing people' is itself cosmetic and not long-lasting.
Taxation must have a human face, create a balance for workers to achieve their routine objectives and allow the government to fund its operations. Here, you place a lot of emphasis on government operations beyond our pockets.
Today our entry ports are in a mess, as passengers are forced to display their luggage to declare their value, for taxation. This method of taxation is like looking for "a needle in a haystack" and eventually will make Kenya a hostile destination for tourists, including Kenyans living in the diaspora. Again, it will be counterproductive in the long haul.
Lowering taxation and spreading it across all sectors is the key to mass production and job creation and not peaking taxes. We are going to experience stagnation, including killing existing and new jobs.
When this government came to power, it promised to lower taxes and cushion the vulnerable, the "hustlers".
Not anymore. In fact, it is choking them, strangling them to death. They now require lots of money to get an ID to say they are Kenyans and lots still to marry legally. Common services the government provides to common people now require one to procure a loan from lenders to access. Everything that was " bottom" is literally being raised up, thanks to Rutoeconomics.