Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition launched its manifesto on June 6 with bold promises of transforming Kenya, including a pledge to provide free education from childhood to university and a commitment to engaging the diaspora in the nation’s development.
Click here to access the Azimio manifesto dubbed “Mwamko Mpya (A New Beginning) Plenty Shall Be Found Within Our Boarders”
Azimio flagbearer Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua presented themselves in front of party diehards, including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, the latest addition to the team, who expressed his full-throated support for Odinga and Karua.
“This manifesto is our contract with the people of Kenya,” Odinga declared to cheers from the audience.
Besides presenting a bevy of goodies for Kenyans in various sectors, Odinga said his administration would give Kenyans in the diaspora incentives to invest in manufacturing.
“The diaspora plays a significant role in Kenya’s economy. We will mainstream and integrate this key constituency into the country’s planning and economic blueprint,” the Azimio manifesto said.
Azimio committed to making it easier for the diaspora to access government services “such as record acquisition, National Identification documents are easily retrievable online and pushing for the right to register and vote online.”
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“This manifesto is our contract with the people of Kenya,” Raila Odinga-Azimio la Umoja flag bearer.
Online voter registration and voting are critical issues for diasporans who want to remain engaged with Kenyan politics. While Kenyans living abroad have the right to register as voters, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) voter registration exercise failed to attract many Kenyans because it overburdened voters who resided far away from the designated registration stations.
Odinga-Karua’s manifesto outlined a list of commitments that, if fulfilled, would grant Kenyans living abroad most items on their wish list.
Noting the diaspora contributed almost $4 billion in 2021, Odinga’s manifesto noted several opportunities to maximize diasporans’ contribution to the motherland.
He promised to review laws to make it easier for diasporans to invest, digitize records to make it easier to access information, and help in big-ticket purchasing of items such as land.
The manifesto also promised to address the safety and welfare of Kenyans in the diaspora by setting up a toll-free number to provide emergency assistance. It’s, however, unclear whether the move would also protect diasporans while visiting at home.
Diasporans have been targets of various crimes such as assault and murder while visiting at home. Many have also fallen victims to scams and exploitation by friends, relatives, and business partners who have taken advantage of their absence to inflate the cost of things or divert funds intended for projects. Almost all diasporans have experienced situations where friends or relatives used deceit to gain monetary favors.
Diasporans have long sought a change of laws to make it easier for them to sue their offenders by appearing in court via video conferencing.
As icing on the cake, the Azimio manifesto said it would push to allocate the diaspora a seat in the national assembly. Such a move would guarantee representation in parliament, a dream come true for diaspora rights advocates.
Diaspora rights advocates have long agitated for a seat at the table and urged the government to create a cabinet-level position to handle diaspora affairs. As a compromise, the advocates have proposed to have a desk in the President or Deputy President’s office.
In their presentation, Odinga and Karua offered an ambitious 100-day plan to grow the economy and promote good governance raising questions about how they intended to pay for it.
In an interview with Citizen TV, Karua said their administration would crack down on corruption and ensure allocated funds are spent appropriately.
As part of the manifesto, Odinga announced Azimio would declare corruption a threat to national security, a signal that their administration would adopt a tough stance against the vice that many blame for Kenya’s economic stagnation.
On the campaign trail, Karua has linked corruption as the root cause for the high unemployment bedeviling the country. Estimates show that Kenya loses 600 billion shillings every year to corruption.
It’s unclear how much money would be raised if corruption loopholes are closed, but the programs Azimio proposed would require a lot of money to fund.
The proposals include a welfare program that would give poor Kenyans Ksh 6000 per month, free education up to college, government-run health insurance, and programs to support the youth and the informal sector.
Azimio is the first to issue an manifesto, it’s unclear whether Kenya Kwanza candidates would issue their own manifesto. An online search for Kenya Kwanza website was fruitless. Odinga’s main opponent William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) website also yielded nothing and appeared not be updated.