Africa-Press – Kenya. A top reality show on leadership believes if the Kenya Kwanza administration invests enough in education, expand access to the digital economy, and boost the business environment, then the country’s better days could be in reach.
Angel Mbuthia, a public policy expert, is participating in the reality TV Ms President and is in top six finalists.
The show demonstrates the leadership potential of women from various parts of the country, with focus on their ability to solve the challenges facing Kenya as well as how they would handle pressure and emergency.
It airs in KTN Home every Thursday and participants are either eliminated or approved to the next stage by judges.
The 27-year-old daughter of a single mother sat for an interview with the Star, in which she detailed her passion for education, the tech sector and bringing women to the mainstream of policy planning.
The present is youthful and female, and tech is part of it, she says.
Mbuthia said she was taken a back by the impression that Kenya was not harnessing the progressive initiatives that emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic.
For example, she said, the Ruto administration should roll out technology in schools to enable remote learning by students so that those in remote areas can cut the distance to schools and have more time for their studies.
“I’m passionate about education policy. I don’t believe there is ever a box in imagining new ways to widen access to education to millions of poor poor as well as bringing the marginalized such as women and the youth into the mainstream,” he said.
“If you mainstreamed remote learning to every school at all levels, you would make our education policy more agile, pragmatic and accessible to many, thus creating a universe of possibilities never imagined before. The approach could only rival the Narc policy of free universal basic education in 2002,” she said.
“That is why the digital — laptop project — by the past administration was critical, had it succeeded,” Mbuthia added.
On how the youth bulge in the country can be a blessing, Mbuthia is proud of “every contribution the youth are making to our country, despite some fault lines.”
Opinion is still divided whether the young people in politics have made better use of their opportunities to improve the life of fellow youths through progressive ideation.
A section of youthful leaders have found themselves on the wrong side of the law.
But Mbuthia is nonetheless proud that at least the voter is considering young people for public office.
“The people of Kenya will reap the youth and women potential if they elect as many to public offices so that there is a huge pool to select from. The youth are fighting against moneyed and experienced old men who’ve made their name in the game.”
“So, its way too early to talk about quality, lets talk quantity and equity. We get as many of them into public office and from there, we can sieve out the few bad apples.”
Mbuthia believes, like in the Azimio ideology, that creating a permanent and institutionalised intervention in dealing with the youth is the way to go.
Confining the youth issues to a state department or a ministry won’t solve it, she said.
“If we lived in a perfect Angel Mbuthia world, I would have a constitutional youth commission in place to deal innovatively and decisively with the many youth problems.
“Also, giving the youth-run start ups and businesses tax holidays to get their feet on the ground would get us miles ahead,” Mbuthia discussed.
Mbuthia also said the fact that not enough attention is put on their digital market place is a disservice to the country given its immense potential.
“The government is yet to tax the digital market space. I would propose serious incentives and investment in the sector to expand it, create more opportunities and jobs and then generate public revenue through taxation.”
She thinks Kenya is making strides in the right direction in giving women opportunity, but more needs to be done.
“Just from the fact that some 6.9 million Kenyans voted for a major presidential ticket that had a woman on it says a lot. We now have seven governors from three in the 2017 elections. That’s progress.”
Mbuthia says Kenyans are increasingly becoming open to women leadership and that the focus should now move progressively a way from depending on goodwill of party leaders to give women a chance, but the citizens themselves.
“That is why I truly fell in love with the Ms President show, the idea mounted by Media Focus in Africa. It is showcasing the gem in various women from different social and ethnic extraction so that Kenyans can see them and trust them.”
“And judges involved in this project are meticulous, kind, thoughtful and incredibly sharp. It’s a show everybody should watch because it is the incubator of women leaders of today and the future,” she added.
Asked what she thinks are the major problems facing the country, Mbuthia said food insecurity tops the list, followed by tribal divisions.
“It’s a shame that millions of our fellow countrymen are suffering and at tip of dying because of hunger and famine yet we are one of the most progressive and educated society in the continent,” she said.
For More News And Analysis About Kenya Follow Africa-Press
