We Want To Know What You Did Last Summer

So, apart from grappling with the big mysteries of life, like why elephants can’t dance, I have been listening to all the political rambling in Kenya as background noise.

Sort of like leaving the TV on while having an animated conversation.

I have to admit, I’m impressed. Someone has definitely upped the ante in the domestic political scene.

The presidential candidates in the opposition are actually putting strategic plans on the table, defining in detail their vision and expounding (a little) on how they plan to go about implementing it.

Good stuff.

Raila had my ears perked with his plan to concentrate on improving the infrastructure. I think this is where the rubber meets the road in this country at this time. The dreadful state of repair of our roads and our railway system is what is curtailing economic growth of a kind we have the potential to experience.

So, enticing proposition, Raila.

Kalonzo for his part tickled my fancy with his plan to ease the tax burden significantly. And this after the incumbent government took his free secondary education plan, combed its hair a little, hurriedly applied some make up on it, and called it their own. Bravo, Kalonzo. Quick (almost) save. Any plan that proposes to increase the flow of hard currency into my account is red-carpet-cheering-crowds welcome.

Thing is, though, once it's in the door, you're obliged to interrogate it thorougly, you know, to make sure it's the real deal. And, I’m not convinced that he can make up for the significant loss in government income from this reduction in our taxes simply by improving on collection of legitimate taxes. Sorry. And since I cannot hold a man to a plan I’m almost certain he cannot fulfil, he will have to pull a third carrot out of that bag of goodies of his. I'm sure he's more than upto the task.

Still, all this is good stuff. Gives me hope where I'm inclined to despair.

But, there’s an angle that’s glaringly missing in all of this.

Everyone’s talking about what they will do in the future. What about what they’ve done in the past? Why’s nobody falling over themselves to report what they’ve managed to accomplished in all their years in active politics? Or at the very least, in these past five years?

We want to see the report cards, people, whip out them report cards. We Want to Know What You Did Last Summer.

In the meantime, tell me, if you know, is it that Elephants can’t dance or that we don’t recognise their dancing for what it is?