KAIKAI’S KICKER: International Day of Happiness – Why government owes Kenyans happiness

On my kicker tonight, we should best agree on both ends of this camera to open our chat with a smile – you know, yesterday the 20th of March was the International Day of Happiness! Yes, I am not making this up! It is real; we are one day late but hey, happy International Day of Happiness!

If as a Kenyan you are hearing about the International Day of Happiness for the first time, don’t worry – we are a nation of nearly if not over 50 million souls; meaning there is a very good chance of a critical mass that is not very familiar with the day.

Let me share a few details I have gathered about the International Day of Happiness; the day was proclaimed through a United Nations General Assembly resolution way back in July 2012 as a way of “recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.” The happiness resolution, if I can call it that, also recognized the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all the peoples.

The United Nations resolution proclaimed the International Day of Happiness was initiated by Bhutan, a tiny kingdom nation that is fifteen times smaller than Kenya.  Bhutan’s happiness story is an interesting one;

It started in the 1970’s when the then King of Bhutan Jigme Wangchuck promulgated a concept called Gross National Happiness (GNH). The King came up with this concept after questioning the only measurement of national progress in use at the time, and that is the famous Gross National Product (GDP). Yes, we also know about that GDP measure in Kenya, but let us stick to the Bhutan story for a moment.

The King, who by the way was a teenage monarch in the seventies, believed strongly that other than GDP, happiness must be made an indicator of progress in Bhutan. But then the King’s beliefs rested on a deeper foundation of an ages old legal code that framed the philosophy of government in Bhutan. A legal code penned in the year 1629 stated that; “if the government cannot create happiness for its people, then there is no purpose for government to exist.” The 1629 code stressed that Bhutanese laws must strive to promote happiness of the people. The ancient code forms the cornerstone of article 9 of the constitution of Bhutan today which obligates the state to “strive to promote conditions that will enable the pursuit of  gross national happiness.”

One may then wonder; what goes into measuring the so called gross national happiness? Well, tiny Bhutan has the answers; first Bhutan identified nine domains for gross national happiness and they are listed to span across good governance, health, education, living standards, environment, culture, psychological wellbeing, time-use and community vitality. Bhutan then narrowed the four domains to four pillars around which governance must revolve; pillar one, good governance, pillar 2 sustainable socio-economic development, pillar three – preservation and promotion of culture and pillar four – environmental conservation.

And with that elaborate structure, and for picking gross national happiness over gross national product Bhutan gifted the world the International Day of Happiness.  In this year’s happiness index, Bhutan did not make the top twenty list of happiest countries. Finland is ranked the number one happiest nation, a measure based largely on the quality of public services and governance in general. There’s one enduring thread from the stories of Bhutan and Finland, and that is the government owes you happiness.

You may wonder by now; where is Kenya ranked in the gross happiness index? Well, former Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi and lawyer PLO Lumumba launched the Happiness Club of Kenya earlier today. Club. Yes, club.