7/27/2019 Peter Kenneth Interview with the Asian Weekly

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/peter-kenneth-interview-with-the-asian-weekly 1/2

OCT  / 11 - 17  / 2013

30STRAIGHT TALK 

Before we begin, share with us your thoughts about the

Westgate tragedy? My running mate and I posted a message on Facebook

and we sent our deepest condolences to all those who

lost their loved ones in the cowardly and senseless West-

gate aack by terrorists that lasted over four days. We

pray that the Almighty God will rest the departed souls

in eternal peace. We also wish a quick recovery to all

those who were injured in the unfortunate aack as we

commiserate with all the Kenyan people and friends of 

Kenya who are traumased by this unfortunate event.

We shall remain forever grateful to our men and women

in uniform who put their lives in harm’s way to rescue

our people and bring this drama to an end. Under the

leadership of the Commander-in Chief, our security

agencies demonstrated professionalism and steadfast-

ness in dealing with the crisis. They have stood as a sym-

bol of our strength and made us all proud.We also recognise the many Kenyans from all walks of 

life who donated blood and money to assist the vicms

as well as those who came out to support the respond-

ers. We especially note with pride the M-Pesa Iniave

that raised over Kshs 60 million in three days to assist

the rescue and recovery eorts. We salute all the hu-

manitarian and emergency response teams especially

the Kenya Red Cross Society and the St John’s Ambu-

lances who assisted in evacuang the injured. By pull-

ing together as Kenyans in this tragedy, we have shown

our unity, courage and love for one another to the whole

world. These are values that we must carry forth with

us and demonstrate even in mes of peace and calm.

We urge all Kenyans to connue to hold together and

to support the bereaved and the injured. Let’s also work

together to heal the wounds that remain aer the rehas died down.

Let’s also congratulate you for pung up a great ght 

in the 2013 elecons. At what point did you think that it 

was important for you to concede defeat? 

I think it became absolutely clear in the last two weeks

that it was an orchestrated campaign to make it a “two

horse” race. Because of that we lost some ground and in

my view when we realised the trend was what was com-

ing out in the electronic vote before it was stopped, and

the same trend took place in the manual, we said that

the country was bigger than all of us. What we needed

was to rally around and say that Kenyans have made

their decision.

How dicult was it a decision

to go ahead and concede? 

It wasn’t dicult because

you go into a contest

knowing one of you will win and the rest of you will be

losers and you kind of retreat for another day.

In your opinion, what do you feel went wrong with your 

strategy? 

First of all looking at the results, we did not do as well as

we should have, but I also think, the reecon is not as

good we think we did. We know a lile bit of things that

perhaps were done behind the scenes. We have details

proving that we did beer than what was reported. But

all along, we were of the view that Kenyans will decide

on issues and that is where we built our greatest hope.

Unfortunately, in the last two weeks we saw another

trend. Where it became tribal, where issues were put on

cold storage and therefore we went back to the same old

issues; of deciding whether we need this family or that

family or if we need this person or that person.

Is Kenya not ready for an elist president according

to you? 

I had a lot of faith in young people, that this was the

me to make a break but I think at the end of the

day, they were dictated to mostly, by their parents

and we sll went the tribal way. As I said we rel-

egated issues. I sll hope that at some point, whether

the next elecons or the other one, we can discuss

issues. Because I think relegang issues at the me of 

elecons only comes back to hurt you as a Kenyan.

Do you feel the decisions made during this elecon

will now serve as a lesson to the youth? Do

you thing that they will reect on them

and make a dierent decision next 

me? I don’t think so. We tend to reason

and raonalise unl two weeks to

elecons. That is what I have seen.

We are going to reason together

for the next four years but when

the elecons come, we then re-

treat to our cocoons.

Why do you think that 

happens? 

I really cannot tell, because if you look at somebody who

has reasoned for four years but can’t reason in the lasttwo months, then you have to start quesoning whether

really reasons and issues have anything to do with an

elecon or we just leave it to be tribal.

What is your take on our current government? 

When I made that famous speech aer elecons, I said

that we must brace ourselves for hard economic mes

and it wasn’t going to be easy for any government. Dis-

cipline was going to be the core thing to drive us out

of our perennial problems. Unfortunately we haven’t

seen reinforcement of discipline in the current govern-

ment. Despite the fact that there are

a lot of problems that they (the

current government) have

tried to tackle, as a coun-

try we need to deal withsecurity, the economy,

the infrastructure and

unemployment, which

is very high and that

brings a lot to deal with.

Also peculiar is that this

government was the rst

to deal with

By Ravneet Sehmi and Simon Muli 

Known as the elist presidenal candidate during

the March 2013 elecons, banker-turned-poli-

cian, Peter Kenneth, took a graceful exit from the

presidenal race. But, there’s more to the ‘hand-

some’ presidenal contestant than meets the eye.Peter Kenneth, was born and brought up in the

country’s capital, Nairobi. Kenneth’s love for the

countryside is what later give rise to a man, de-

scribed by many as the most performing polician

in Kenya. His service to the people of Gatanga for

10 years, as their representave in parliament le

an indelible mark on the lives of many in his con-

stuents. In his rst interview since March 4, the

father of two, shares his thoughts about the latest

issues in Kenya’s polical arena and what he has

been up to.

The leader whoarrived aheadof his time

PETER KENNETH

7/27/2019 Peter Kenneth Interview with the Asian Weekly

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/peter-kenneth-interview-with-the-asian-weekly 2/2

OCT  / 11 - 17  / 2013

31STRAIGHT

 TALK 

devoluon and it is not an easy thing because it takes a

lot of money from the central government. It has been

rather tough for them. But, there is also the other side

that they have handled it with some decorum. They ap-

pointed a professional cabinet. There will be quesons

whether they should have appointed people who can

arculate polically being professional and I think the

president has issued the right statements. What is lack-

ing is backing those statements with acon.

The Tunawesmek slogan was the buzzword especially in

social media. How did that come about and what impact 

according to you has it le? 

I think Tunawesmek is now a strong word in the Kenyan

vocabulary. I was in church on Sunday and the Archbish-

op of the Anglican Church said “You know... and Peter of 

tunawesmek fame is here.” It is a strong buzzword. The

creave team did a lot to come with the buzzword. I

was always afraid, and it took them ve months to

convince me that it was the right slogan. Inially when

it came out, half of our supporters were very hosle to-

wards it. I kept on pleading with them to give it me but

in the end, I think everybody came into it and it became

a ”Tunawesmek.”

What does that speak to you with regards to tribalism

in Kenya? 

It just tells you that we are a country that is ready to take

o and trivial things such as tribalism, holds us back, un-

fortunately. We have seen a lot of inter-marriages across

the board, which should have been the foundaon to

kick tribalism out but we sll retreat to it. It is very un -

fortunate.

Do you have any parcular thing that you would say if 

you were to curb tribalism now or shun it? What would 

you suggest to our leaders on what they can do? 

I think if we were equitable, had a format for equitability

and we delivered services, no one would use tribe as a

means to get or have hope of geng something. I think

it all has to do with the delivery of services. If you look at

developed countries, nobody really cares who is at the

helm; all they are interested in is pure services. Do you

have healthcare, water, roads and security and are they

across the board? It is delivery of services that can make

the country one so that it does not maer to anybody

who is there, as long as that person who is elected is go-

ing to ulise the taxes to ensure service delivery.

Where have you channeled all your energies now aer 

the elecons? 

Well, the campaign was a ring one, especially for some

of us who started late, we came strongly in the last six-

seven months. I wanted to put that challenge so that

Kenyans can have a dierent perspecve. I can say that I

have had a lot of me for my family now. My kids never

got the me to see their daddy that oen and also for

my own private things; my own companies which I neverhad me for. My own body in terms of keeping it t and

keeping it healthy. So that is where I am channeling my

energy right now.

You have been an acve business man before you ven -

tured into polics; you had a successful career in the cor -

 porate world. What made you get into polics? 

The need to serve is what really made me get into poli-

cs. I loved country life or village life, and every me I

went to see my mother and visit friends in the village,

I could see the problems. I couldn’t understand why I

had to drive on potholes for 20 kilometres, I had to be

woken up in the middle of the night to rush somebody

to hospital, people would come home to ask for drink-

ing water or why I had to install solar so that my mother

could have light. Because of going there too frequently,I realised it was a problem that cut across. I am sased

that aer serving that long in parliament, we have re-

solved these problems. We now have good roads, piped

water, good interconnecvity of electricity and I also felt

secure sleeping in the village.

Have you ever regreed geng into polics? 

No. I have no regrets whatsoever. I think life is short and

you can make a dierence within that short me. That

is what really counts.

You are very acve on social media, and you seem to get 

your messages, thoughts, and opinions across to thou-

sands of people. Is social media the way to go for our 

 policians because a lot of them are not as acve? 

I think social media is a good form of communicaon

and a lot of people mistake social media. For example

aer elecons people kept saying that you have big fol-

lowing, how come it didn’t translate into votes? Now

you get followed by all sorts of people, some outside

the country and some are corporate bodies. I think it is

a good interacve form to look at each other’s opinion

and see whether you can shape the opinion of many

people. Of course young people are in it but as I always

said, it is just one of the very many forms of commu -

nicaon in terms of communicang. What I enjoyed

most was meeng specialised groups and arguing and

arculang views about our country. But you also realise

even your enemies also follow you. Not everybody is a

supporter. This gives you the other avenue of those who

are opposed to you because you can then have a lively

discussion on social media.

 Away from polics for a few minutes; let’s talk about Pe-

ter Kenneth the man. Your family, your educaon, tells us

a lile about yourself.

I grew up in Nairobi, In Eastland, when things worked

and services where there and when Nairobi was a very

beauful city. I started my primary school in Eastlands

and later joined Starehe Boys Centre where I did my O

and A levels. Then I began working career and much

later I did my degree in Law at the University of Nairobi

and I also did my masters in The University of Nairobi. I

am married, I have two kids. One of them, Andrew, who

is now more famous than I am, is doing his second year

in Law. My daughter Andrea is now going to university

in the UK.

What according to you is your greatest achievement 

thus far? 

I think my greatest achievement would be rst of all be-

ing who I am and where I have reached. I have worked

hard but I also think that my great achievement is show-

ing the people who I meet, and communicate with the

honest and the true fullness in me. I think that to me is

my greatest achievement that I have been sincere and

honest and I can be able to go back on my tracks and

trace them. My integrity has remained.

I will take you back to polics a lile bit. The new Value Added Tax has caused quite a sr among the members of 

the public and a lot of people have already started feel-

ing the pinch on the high cost of living. What is your opin-

ion on the whole issue and what would you have done if 

you had the power? 

Lets rst of all put it this way, that taxes are what a de -

cent society pays for services and the rst queson that

we must ask ourselves is whether even before VAT the

taxes where being ulised to provide for services. It is

always good for the tax payer to realise that they are

paying not as punive but in return for services. I would

have perhaps done it a lile dierent as I have stated in

my opinion because I wouldn’t want to tax the vulner-

able or the common mwananchi especially on the basics

and as I have said, I would have deepened the reforms

within KRA to broaden the base. Two, I would have en-hanced eciency in tax administraon, in terms of col-

lecon and in terms of geng sectors that are supposed

to pay and are not paying especially in real estate and

transport. Then thirdly, I would have curbed the corrup-

on within KRA itself because that could have saved a lot

of money and we could have collected much more, we

didn’t need to go to the VAT and the basic commodies.

So I am very clear on that.

How will the common mwananchi deal with this? What is

their way forward because it has already been enacted? 

It is going to be dicult because one, the cost of living

will now go up and the common mwananchi who forms

the majority will nd it hard to live in that kind of ex-

pense. We will have an agitaon of extra salaries which

will in turn have a strain on the corporate world and in-

vestors. So it is a vicious cycle. I wish we did much more,

like on the medical and educaon so that the common

mwananchi can make a saving on that so that they do

not keep their lile savings on medical and educaon.

Sll on the tax law, isn’t it ironical that the government 

decided to levy tax on books, when educaon is sup-

 posed to be free? 

That is why I have said that I would have done it a lile

dierent by deepening reforms within KRA to net those

who are supposed to pay but they are not paying so that

we don’t take the easier route. There is always a temp-

taon in taxaon of taking an easier route, where you

know you can collect faster.

Finally, what is Peter Kenneth’s message to the public? 

I think Kenya is a great country, I believe in Kenya very

much. It has built many people and it can also build

many more. We really just need to get our act right and

our country will be on the take- o. I am concerned

about the high public debt; I am concerned about de-

livery of services and I think if we got certain facts right

and certain elements right about our country. I always

say that if we want to build our economy, which should

be the backbone of our take-o, we must rst sort out

security. So that we know that there is no insecurity in

our country because it sends wrong messages. Two we

must get our infrastructure right especially in our cies.

If we get those two right then we are going to get a lot of 

investors, we are going to create employment. It would

also save those who are going to save people, who want

to invest, in terms of ordinary costs. I have a lot of faith in

our country but I also think that we need decisive lead-

ership and disciplined leaders. Those two are crical to

move our country forward.