There were moments when Kenyans turned against the government and criticised it for unemployment and corruption, as seen through contemporary works of musician Kennedy Ombima alias King Kaka.
There also were moments when they united to laud its officers such as DPP Noordin Haji and DC George Kinoti in their relentless pursuit of justice.
In 2020, there are events that will certainly happen and all eyes will be on them as they shape both social, political and economic spheres.
1.) Miguna Miguna’s Return
Self-proclaimed revolution leader, Miguna Miguna, made known his return date to Kenya from forced exile in Canada, announcing that he would arrive on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at 9:25 p.m. via Lufthansa Flight LH 590.
What a way to start a year, with more drama expected over his dual citizenship and constant attacks on President Uhuru Kenyatta and AU envoy Raila Odinga.
Miguna, whose troubles started after overseeing Odinga’s swearing-in ceremony at Uhuru Park on January 30, 2018, demanded that court orders issued in his favour be adhered to upon his return.
“Upon my arrival at the JKIA on January 7, 2020, the duty will be upon President Kenyatta’s regime to obey the multiple court orders, especially that of Justice [Chacha] Mwita on December 14, 2018, and unconditionally grant me entry or return my valid Kenyan passport. Viva!,” Miguna declared via social media.
2. Big 4 Agenda
It is a fact that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy is hinged on the Big 4 Agenda. In 2019, he launched a number of ambitious projects that his administration hopes will leave an indelible mark on Kenya’s development journey.
The Garissa Solar Plant and Lake Turkana Wind Power Plant saw Kenya ranked fifth globally in the 2019 Climatescope Index released by the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF2019), in her race to achieve green energy sufficiency.
However, the focus will be on the affordable housing project. In 2017, the head of state and his deputy, William Ruto, committed to constructing one million houses by 2022.
According to a report by The Standard in October 2019, the figure has been revised down to 500,000.
The plan projected to cost about Ksh1. 3 trillion.
3. Building Bridges Initiative (BBI)
The launch of the BBI report at Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi on Wednesday, November 27, caught many politicians and Kenyans off guard as most were disappointed by their own expectations.
DP William Ruto and his brigade who had for the better part of the year attacked the BBI changed tune and declared their support for it.
Debates, however, rose over how to enact it, with Ruto and his allies preferring the parliamentary system to Odinga’s referendum preference.
The question over the powers of the PM will be a bone of contention in 2020, as leaders are divided over a ceremonial PM to a powerful PM.
4. Conflict of Interest Bill
On Thursday, December 12, 2019, the president directed Attorney General Kihara Kariuki to draft a law to fix the loophole exploited by politicians, which will aid in defining when a conflict of interest happens.
This was ostensibly triggered by Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo and his Elgeyo-Marakwet counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen appearing as defence counsels for embattled Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko in a graft case in early December 2019.
“You either serve the public in your role as an MP or senator or resign to go serve as a private practitioner, not both. You cannot be elected at the national and county level but still be a practicing lawyer,” Uhuru lashed out in his Jamhuri Day address.
This elicited mixed reactions from politicians as some argued that Kenyatta’s directive was unscrupulous. Meru Senator Mithika Linturi vowed to shoot it down in Parliament.
In 2020, more reactions and debates are expected to rise over the Conflict of Interest Bill that is targeted at all public servants.
5. Court Cases and the Judiciary-Executive War
Graft cases against Governors Mike Sonko (Nairobi), Ferdinand Waititu (Kiambu) and their Samburu counterpart Moses Lenolkula will continue in 2020.
For Waititu, he will be roaming around the corridors more often as the Senate would also be listening to his impeachment case.
Treasury CS Henry Rotich would also be back in court to answer to charges related to the Arror & Kimwarer Dam Scandals.
The public officers facing graft charges were dealt a major blow after the Court of Appeal on Friday, December 20, upheld Justice Mumbi Ngugi’s ruling barring governors from accessing office.
In the criminal cases, Sarah Cohen would also be back in court to answer to murder charges after being suspected to have murdered her husband Tob Cohen.
Major Peter Mugure would be answering to similar charges in a case where he is suspected to have killed his wife, Joyce Syombua her two children.
More drama would be expected in the businesswoman Monica Kimani’s murder case. In 2019, the main suspect Joseph ‘Jowie’ Irungu, who was controversially transferred to Manyani Maximum Prison in Voi, claimed his life was under threat as he fought for bail.
The war between the Judiciary and the Executive would also capture the attention of Kenyans, as President Uhuru Kenyatta and Chief Justice David Maraga face off in their escalated cold wrangles.
The rift played out in the public on November 4, 2019, when Maraga held a lengthy press briefing decrying disrespect from the Executive as well as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s refusal to approve 41 judges nominated to the Court of Appeal by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
The CJ went on to declare that he would be categorical of which state events to attend after claiming he was not recognised during the 2019 Mashujaa Day celebrations. The Chief Justice made true his threats by skipping the Jamhuri Day celebrations.
Following the outburst, the Judiciary would later on December 20, 2019, suspend all sittings of the Court of Appeal in Nyeri, Kisumu and Mombasa registries in a statement delivered by Court of Appeal President William Ouko.
6. Harsh Economy and Unemployment
In 2019, many Kenyans cried out on the rising state of unemployment in the country best symbolised by the exit of two betting giants over what they termed as unfair taxation rules.
Kenyatta on Thursday, October 16, declined to approve the Financial Bill 2019 returning a memorandum to Parliament asking legislators to scrap commercial lending rate caps, which MPs were unable to overturn due to a lack of quorum.
According to Nicholas Gachara, a financial consultant, this meant that Kenyans would be left at the mercy of banks in terms of choosing who to lend to and at what rate.
“First of all, you cannot force the banks to give out loans as they have a limit. This directive will impose a challenge on borrowers to invest unless they turn to alternatives such as Saccos and Mobile loans (SMEs) which are very expensive,” Gachara argued.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, on Tuesday, November 5, confessed that legislators had failed Kenyans by scraping off commercial lending rate caps.
“We have lied to Kenyans that all is well. Most of us being members of the ruling party. It is messy. We have lied to Kenyans and failed in the oversight responsibility,” Kuria, who has been a member of the budget committee since 2014, disclosed.
He admitted the country’s economy was not performing well while offering his apologies as a lawmaker.
In 2020, Kenyans are hoping for an improved economy, one which is favorable to them.
