As the dust begins to settle after three weeks of chaos and confusion, the time has come for us as a nation to pause and reflect; to stop the country from sliding further down the wrong and dangerous path of anarchy.
What started in June as a valid concern by the new generation of youth, now popularly known as Gen Z, over the growing tax burden has snowballed into a political and economic crisis that can easily push the country down the cliff if not checked.
From the unprecedented storming of parliament by angry and rowdy youth to street battles in key towns and cities amid anti-government chants, Kenya is again facing a defining historical moment.
Thankfully, President Dr William Ruto appears to have— finally and fully— read the public mood seen partly through the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 in its entirety and a raft of other measures which culminated in the dismissal of the cabinet last week save for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who is also Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
Notably, President Ruto has also proclaimed his commitment to national dialogue and pledged to establish a broad-based government.
Where I come from, there is an old saying that goes like this: N'golul kuresia ko titoi sigarik meaning when a big tree falls, it goes down with smaller trees around it.
Methinks, the blanket condemnation of the cabinet by Gen Z and other Kenyans who are, justifiably, unhappy with how affairs of the nation are being run, is unfair, unjust and harsh.
This brings me back to the saying about the big tree falling and going down together with other smaller trees with the big tree here being the cabinet and the smaller trees being the hard-working cabinet secretaries.
Of the 21 cabinet secretaries, I believe there are a few who showed commitment to work and carried themselves with respect and honour befitting such a high office.
I have in my mind the outgoing Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSME Development, Simon Chelugui, who by virtue of his appointment, was the carrier of the Hustlers and the pillar of the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Upon his reappointment on October 27, 2022, Chelugui got down to work with zeal and gusto; his passion and enthusiasm was clear for all to see, transmitting this vigour and vitality across the co-operative sector, the engine that drives growth and development.
As the fourth highest ranking member of Cabinet, Chelugui was tasked to lead the Coffee Reforms which paved the way for the highly successful legislative and administrative reforms and the reintroduction of the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund (CCARF) at a much higher rate and the write-off of Sh6 billion loans and had bogged down coffee farmers for years. A sigh of relief for many ordinary coffee growers in the country.
Mr Chelugui has been a breath of fresh air to the sector. Within the short period, he also initiated key changes in the dairy sector—one of the key value chains—ensuring that New KCC offers competitive prices and pays farmers promptly. Coffee and dairy are the backbone of the economy.
Despite teething problems here and there, the Hustler Fund, administratively known as the Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF) has seen notable successes such as the removal of some 7 million Kenyans from the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) blacklisting roster.
In his recent national address and his subsequent speech in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, President Ruto laid credence to this argument saying reforms in the coffee and dairy sectors were bearing fruits. The President said so far, more than 22 million Kenyans have been enrolled with 2 million of them benefiting every day.
In sum, this shows that there are Cabinet Secretaries who have worked their socks off and it is incumbent upon us to give them a second chance.
I submit.
Noah Cheploen is a journalist and editor with an interest in public communication