Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi rushed to defend President Uhuru Kenyatta who has come under heavy criticism by constitutional lawyer Professor Yash Pal Ghai.
In a post on his verified Twitter handle on Friday, September 18, Ngunyi claimed that an article authored by Ghai demonstrated intellectual laziness, adding that is was similar to a First Years's essay.
"This polemical article by Yash Pal Ghai is both original and interesting. However, the interesting parts are not original (bar talk) and the original parts are not interesting (activism)," the political analyst ridiculed.
In the article, Ghai tore into President Kenyatta's 7-year rule, and claimed that he had failed the country in many ways.
Corruption
The constitutional lawyer stated that Kenya had struggled with corruption during past regimes but the vice had exploded under Kenyatta's rule.
Ghai stated that despite the head of state's commitment to fighting corruption, the results were wanting, referencing the KEMSA scandal that involved people close to him.
Constitution
President Kenyatta was given the privilege of being the first head of state to rule under the 2010 constitution yet, according to Ghai, he had done a poor job protecting it.
He criticised that the head of state only observed the constitution when it suited him, citing the creation of the Cabinet Administrative Secretary post, take over of Nairobi County and the recent inclusion of NMS Director-General Mohamed Badi into the Cabinet.
Economy
"Uhuru Kenyatta is not known for his business skills, nor did he distinguish himself when he was Minister of Finance.
"Yet he took it upon himself to negotiate deals (largely in secret, as the Chinese prefer) with the Chinese government for skills, equipment, and money," Ghai observed.
According to the World Bank, Kenya has made significant political, structural and economic reforms that have largely driven sustained economic growth, social development and political gains over the past decade.
However, its key development challenges still include poverty, inequality, climate change, continued weak private sector investment and the vulnerability of the economy to internal and external shocks.
"With such a scorecard, it is hard to make a convincing case for Uhuru Kenyatta’s government," Ghai concluded.
