By James Wafula in Nairobi.
Kenya civil society economic think tanks have accused the World Bank, and IMF of creating economic stagnation in the country.
Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, ex-anti-corruption czar John Githongo and economist John Ndii claim the main 2022 Kenya presidential aspirants have no “clue” on how to fix the economy!
The Think Tank under Katiba Watch accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of dragging East Africa’s largest economy into a “cesspool” of external debts! While cost of living escalates daily with prices of fuel and essential basic goods.
As life becomes a nightmare for majority, 2022 aspirants are promising “manna” from heaven while still serving in the “failed regime”!
They warned that this was likely to trigger a “social implosion” made precarious by the widening rich-poor gap, one of the highest in the world.
They dismissed both Raila Odinga and William Ruto as “patently clueless” on how to revive the economy battered by widespread corruption and gross mismanagement.
Katiba Watch rooted for an “economic manager” to succeed Uhuru in the 2022 elections if the country hopes to avoid economic collapse.
They said the Uhuru regime was leaving a legacy of “failed promises” that has seen politically correct cartels get away with stealing billions from the exchequer.
The “failed” regime they claimed had thrown a “protective curtain” against well known economic “pirates” stealing from public coffers and claiming to be “hard working”.
Multi-lateral lenders they say have turned a deaf year to the evident “economic mismanagement” in Nairobi. They say IMF and World Bank are content on heavily funding “white elephants” as super highways while millions of Kenyans become poorer by the day.
They claimed it is clear liberalization of the economy in Kenya has failed to improve standards of living for the majority.
The high cost of living, they warned, could easily drive the poor into rebellion especially in the post Uhuru succession.
Uhuru steps down, they say, without trying to address the emotive land question in central Kenya and at the coast. Despite extensive findings by the Ndungu report yet to be made public.
They claimed Ruto “bottom up approach” and Raila’s “top down” were an insult to the intelligence of Kenyans!
The two should appreciate, they said that Kenyans have gone to school and peddling “cheap unworkable theories” was an exercise in futility■
