Why engaging with the State policy is not matter of choice

When I interact with many engaging in the economic and social development of Kenya, a sense of cynicism is often communicated when addressing the role of and interaction with government.

Whether it is securing payment for services or goods rendered, trying to shift government policy or ensure it is implemented, or trying to improve the quality of government interventions, there seems to be a growing view that nothing can be meaningfully achieved through government action.

Indeed, government is seen as more of an obstacle to navigate than any hope of it being an enabler.

This has led to a rubbishing of the importance of government policy as almost irrelevant to the country’s development.

It has reached a stage where even the national budget and fiscal policy are seen as irredeemably meaningless by some serious thinkers in Kenya.

The source of such deep cynicism is due to several reasons, the first being a disconnect between government policy and the implementation thereof.

Even in cases where a policy is well-thought through, Kenya is infamous in its inability to effectively implement said policy.

As a result, some feel one shouldn’t care about policies as they just end up being pieces of paper that are never properly implemented.

Secondly, is the concern that some policy is not well-thought through and that government is often slow to listen to stakeholder feedback on certain policies, leaving Kenyans to live with the realities of bad policies.

And linked to this is the sense that even when a problematic policy is then seen to be addressed by government, the modifications are driven more by political expediency and driving the priorities of the elite, than improving the lives of all Kenyans, especially low-income and marginalised populations.

Finally, is the issue of a lack of accountability in the use of public finances. Good policy requires human and financial resources for them to have a positive lived effect on the populace.

Here, the government’s open problem with the mismanagement of public funds has left many with the feeling that they’ll never see the positive effects of policy driven by public finances as most is siphoned away through corruption.

However, despite the factors mentioned above, the rubbishing of the importance of government policy is dangerous because it reduces public scrutiny of government activity and can deepen a culture of a lack of accountability.

If a population signals to their government that they don’t believe in its policies and don’t care, then who will hold government accountable?

While it is not every Kenyan’s passion or interest to track and follow policy development and implementation (or lack thereof), it is important that a critical mass stay engaged. After all, we are all affected by government policy, either positively or negatively.