Easter weekend finds me in Laikipia, apparently one of Kenya’s happiest counties. Amid public tensions between Senators and Governors, dissatisfaction with the cost of living, and a looming global crisis in fertilizer, oil, and exports caused by the US war on Iran, Easter’s message of renewal and hope feels timely, especially a few days before the Africa Urban Forum opens in Nairobi.
Bhutan, a South Asian Kingdom with a population of 749,000, the size of Baringo County, became famous among economists when it instituted the Gross Happiness Index (GHI) in 2008. The GHI ranks countries on the quality of their governance, sustainable development, and cultural resilience and freedom.
Bhutan’s claim to be the world’s happiest nation (according to their own index) is undermined by clear evidence of poverty, human rights abuses, intolerance toward Hindus and non-Buddhist groups, and the use of unfair trials, torture, deportations, and press restrictions. This said, the idea of a happiness index is fun. How would it apply across Kenya?
A disclaimer. What follows should be treated as indicative, not statistically precise. Readers should not use this as the basis to relocate counties. All six levels of politicians must not use it to scream “WANTAM” or “TWOTAM” conclusively. Using the nine domains and 33 indicators of the GHI, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Embu, Laikipia, and Uasin Gishu, in this order, emerge as the happiest counties. They have some of the highest life expectancy rates and strong, consistent community organizing, especially around the environment. Their students perform well in national exams, and literacy rates are higher. Most of their populations have escaped the chronic poverty, harsh climate, and natural resources conflicts seen in Turkana, Mandera, and Wajir.
Whereas they have fewer employment and income opportunities than Kiambu and Nairobi, they have less violent crime. They also have shorter workplace commutes, less noise, and less air pollution than Nairobi. If divorce rates are an indicator of unhappiness (some readers might disagree), then these five are doing much better than Lamu and Mombasa, who currently top the divorce chart.
Liveability, safety, inclusion and happiness trends must preoccupy our county policymakers, urban planners and citizens more seriously in the African Urban Forum this coming week. Three out of ten Kenyans live in urban areas, and the national annual urbanization rate is 2.8-3.7 percent. All factors remaining equal, Kenya could be fully urban within a couple of generations. The rest of Africa, and especially North and Southern Africa, is moving much faster.
The well-being of Kenya’s 47 counties depends on how economic opportunities are created, essential services are provided, and the degree of freedom and safety residents experience. Accountable and responsible governance is fundamental to this. To have over fourteen governors (Laikipia and Embu are among them) currently on the radar of the Auditor General, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Senate County Public Accounts Committee is tragic. To have Governors threaten to expose Senators for demanding bribes, but not name them and offer public evidence, is outrageous.
If anything shows the collapse of the social contract between elected representatives and citizens, it is this. Instead of taking bribery allegations to a court of law or even the court of public opinion, elected officials are trading accusations about who is more corrupt among themselves.
Active and vigilant citizens must continue to monitor and expose the unfinished health centers, extravagant prestige buildings, trips abroad, and allowances for loyalists. “Tuko kadi” campaigns must go beyond sensitizing everyone on their right to register and vote, to explaining why all eligible Kenyans need to vote for wiser and more ethical leaders across all six levels.
The campaigns must focus on specific real and perceived problems that populations face across all counties, not just those the statistics suggest are the “unhappiest”. Current youth organizing must be encouraged, resourced, and protected from those who seek to keep our people disinterested, politically ignorant, and financially malleable.
Irũngũ Houghton is Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director and writes in his personal capacity. Email: [email protected]