After engorged stomachs regain their normal shape and the cobwebs that gathered in the heads over the holiday period clear, I hope that Kenyans all around the world will still rejoice that they made it into the New Year, and look to 2012 with hope in their eyes and determination in their hearts. Here are 5 things I would like to see in 2012:
Health and safety: We reduce the number of people who don’t make it to see the next year, especially by reducing deaths through road accidents and preventable diseases; seriously, how great would it be to read the paper one week long without any headline that goes like ‘X people die in road accident’?
Fair and peaceful elections: We see through any politician who is shallow, feckless and without substance, trust in the Constitution and the law and help to change Kenya by going through peaceful elections. Of course, I’m crossing my fingers that Kenyans living abroad also get to vote.
The Somalia issue: The war against Al-Shabaab militants, which has already claimed so many innocent lives, comes to an end, and our economy and national security improves as a result. That the refugees currently crowded in the camps also start to return home to rebuild their lives.
Education: That the government realizes that children are not to blame for their parents’ wealth status and ensures that public school pupils get as good a chance for the future as those in private schools. We really are not proud to see headlines that scream ‘private schools trounce public schools in KCPE.’ We want to be proud of performance in an environment of equal opportunity.
Economy: Reduced fuel prices, reduced commodity prices, increased job opportunities, reduced inflation, etc. In a nutshell, this rollercoaster that we experienced in 2011 was not good for our static pocket change, and we want to be able to plan and anticipate what is coming at us.
The year is going to be short, the drama is going to be great, I can’t wait to get to the other side to see what we achieved!
