In his vision Raila dwelt very much on the economy, education, agriculture and politics. Raila says if elected president of Kenya in this year’s presidential election, he will enact a new constitution (Bomas draft)

within six months. Raila also promises to share power with an executive prime minister. This means he will give up presidential powers and leave parliament to play its role in governance.

In a sense, what Raila is telling Kenyans is that Kenya will for the first time have a ceremonial president and an executive prime minister.

On education, Raila promises to offer free primary and secondary education as well as establishing a university in each of Kenya’s eight provinces. So what Raila is saying is that each region will have a public university fully funded by the government.

It would appear according to Raila, provinces such as North Eastern and Coast that have never had a public university since independence will for the first time have a public university.

Although Raila is cagey about promising Kenyans new jobs, I must confess that his policies are likely to create knock - on employment for so many Kenyans. For instance, the creation of eight universities will mean so many jobs are likely to be created for many of our lecturers who are jobless at the moment and several other jobs for support personnel. Also provision of free secondary education across the board

will mean so many jobs are likely to be created for many of our university graduates who are jobless at the moment.

Clearly, what Raila is telling every Kenyan with a university degree to his or her name is: Elect me as your next president in this year’s election and I will offer you good jobs.

And Raila really knows where Kenyan votes are. For instance, by promising to offer free secondary education and establishing a university in each of Kenya’s eight provinces, the man is studiously eyeing university lecturers’ votes on one hand and teachers votes on the other. Also by promising to hire more teachers and pay them well, what Raila is endearing himself to teachers to vote for him in this year’s election.

And because Kenya is experiencing graduate unemployment at the moment, Raila is most likely to harvest so many votes from lectures as well as teachers.

Also by promising to revamp the agricultural sector, the man is studiously eyeing farmers’ votes who currently account for about 50 per cent of the total votes.

If there is any promise that Raila has made that is most likely to endear him to the youth, then that must be granting of dual citizenship. I say so because previous regimes have sat on this delicate issue for many years.

To regard everybody who leaves us as sell- outs is to engage ourselves in denial. When you create a society that creates no new careers, expects top talent to work on meager salaries that a security guard with minimum level of education will sneeze at, refuse to invest in key areas such as information technology – then do not be surprised when people leave in large numbers in search for greener pastures.

This is no longer a world in which you can restrict people behind unseen borders. People nowadays are very keen on jumping at opportunities. If those opportunities can be found elsewhere and not at home, then people go where those opportunities are.

Vincent Obiro Orute is Africa’s director of operations, Volunteer Network Africa- a global volunteer organization committed to social change,

Website: http//www.volunteernetworkafrica.org

Webmail:volunteernetworkafrica.org