5 Govt Blunders That Shook Kenyans in 2023
In President William Ruto’s first year in office, the regime’s communication teams have had to contain several fires, some of which stemmed from blunders made by high-ranking members of the regime.
From the admission of errors in the recently released Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) results to Ruto’s false claim that Kenya was not going to experience El Nino rains.
Here is a list of the most high-profile blunders associated with the regime this year.
KCPE marks
In November, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) found itself on the receiving end of attacks after a section of parents raised alarm over their results.
Some students indicated missing marks for some subjects, while others recorded results for exams they never sat.
A sample case showed the results of one candidate who scored English 84A, Kiswahili 29D, Kenya Sign Language, Mathematics 88A, Science 76A, and Social Studies and Religious Education 84A, scoring a total of 361 marks.
The Education CS released the results on a Thursday, indicating that the top candidate scored 428 marks.
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A day later, however, KNEC admitted releasing results with errors, including candidates scoring similar grades in select subjects.
Specifically, the council revealed that 133 candidates were given low marks in some of the subjects, including English and Kiswahili.
“These cases have all been addressed and results for the affected candidates updated appropriately,” KNEC clarified.
El Nino
In October, ahead of the then-projected El Nino rains, President William Ruto seemed at odds with the forecast issued by the Kenya Meteorological Department.
Kenya Met had earlier cautioned Kenyans that El Nino, projected to spill over into 2024, would be severe and asked the State to prepare appropriately.
Ruto, citing his own source at Kenya Met, however, boldly proclaimed that the country would not experience El Nino.
“We heard reports that the country will experience El Nino rains, which have the potential to destroy property. But God has been faithful,” the President explained.
“We’ve now heard the meteorologists saying that will no longer be the case. We will just have heavy rains. We thank God.”
The president’s remarks triggered concerns from the public and Kenya Met boss who insisted that the effects were still projected to be extreme.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, flanked by the Kenya Met boss, would later revise the govt’s official position advising Kenyans that the country was still going to experience El Nino rains as projected by Kenya Met.
Power blackouts
For the third time in 3 months, the Ministry of Energy was at pains to explain why the nationwide blackout that rocked the country on December 10, 2023, disrupted business activities across the country.
The blackout happened at the beginning of December despite assurances by the State that plans were underway to put in place measures that would ensure that the country doesn’t experience a prolonged power outage again.
Energy CS Davis Chirchir also worsened the situation by hinting that the state was considering adopting load shedding, as is practiced in South Africa, to ensure a consistent supply of power.
Kenya Power later issued a statement explaining that the nationwide power blackout that paralyzed businesses was caused by a faulty system.
JKIA taxations
In November, the State found itself firefighting accusations of unfairly taxing foreigners, most of whom arrive in the country as tourists.
Kenyans accused the government of instituting a tax of Ksh75,000 or more on personal belongings.
The accusation later forced the government to introduce measures that would ensure foreigners are not routinely harassed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Tourism Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa revealed that the Ministry was working with the Attorney General’s Office, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), and the Department of Immigration on putting in place strategies to stamp out the harassment and attract foreigners.
One of the strategies employed by the State is looking for ways to grow wedding tourism in Kenya.
The move was informed by uproar after KRA officials confiscated a Ksh 300,000 wedding dress belonging to a Kenyan bride who was set to marry her American fiance after the duo jetted into the country.
According to East African tax regulations, goods valued up to Ksh75,000 (USD500) for each traveler are exempted from import tax as long as the luggage is accompanied and declared to the Customs Officer.
The Ksh 300,000 wedding dress in question exceeded the allowable limit of Ksh75,550 (USD500) for duty-free items.
JKIA Generators
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen was forced to deal with the wrath of travelers in December after JKIA suffered a blackout for the third time in 3 months.
According to the Minister, the backup generator did not start on time, throwing two terminals at the facility into darkness.
Kenyans were angry since in an earlier explanation, the CS had assured them that the generators had been fixed and no more hitches would be experienced.
The CS had also fired the Kenya Airports Authority boss and blamed poor workmanship by the contractor and engineers who conducted renovations at Terminal IC and IE during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure.
“Over the last 10 years, JKIA has suffered inadequate facility and infrastructure capacity upgrades to the extent that even temporary interventions became permanent solutions, hence the state of affairs in service disruptions,” KAA explained in November before the last blackout.
5 Govt Blunders That Shook Kenyans in 2023
