Our Planet with Anthony Mugo

Having lived in an advanced country seems to be a positive factor on the quality of a president for Kenya. Three out of our five presidents so far lived in advanced countries for a significant part of their lives. Evidence so far appears to indicate that this experience made a significant difference in their management of the country and the legacies of their presidencies. Granted that the first President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta came to power at the advanced age of 81, he had lived in England for 15 years. The most memorable evidence of his sterling leadership, and which was most likely shaped by his experience of having lived in Britain, was the choice of his first cabinet of 15 ministers. Kenyatta went for the most brilliant minds he could find and ensured that he assigned the dockets in line with the expertise of the people he appointed. Notably, he gave his ministers autonomy to run their dockets and kept them there for a long time. Kenyans of that age will recall a time when schoo

  Like him or hate him, there is something tantalizingly refreshing about the manner in which President William Ruto has set out to run his government. Prompt and focused meetings, time-bound targets for government programmes and an apparently dedicated programme to improve the economic circumstances of the ordinary person. These measures are to be underpinned by drastically expanding the tax net and reinvigorating Kenya’s agricultural production. This to be done through directing resources towards production as opposed to subsidies; constructing massive dams;   focused and sustained provision of fertilizer and seeds; value addition intended at guaranteeing markets for agricultural goods; and removal of cartels and brokers from the agriculture value chain. From his inaugural live televised conference with journalists on 4 th January, 2023 to the recently concluded retreat with top government officials , held in Nanyuki between 5 th and 8 th January 2023, there have been