SAM'S SENSE: Sense is suspended...till 2027

It’s been about Wantam, Tutam, noma is noma – or is it noma si noma, Tribalist, nationalist, tutaiba kura, tumejipanga, what’s your plan? And of course, the clarion call to the youth to register as voters.

It’s all good to fight the good fight, as Paul once told Timothy. But how about finishing the race — and keeping the faith?

Because as the political elite square off for 2027, real lives are being lived. Real struggles are unfolding.

Let’s begin with education. You’ve likely heard of school heads on the verge of shutting down early. Not for lack of passion or planning — but for lack of funds.

When resources are limited, something always gives. But when what gives is the quality of education, then we have a fight that must be fought before 2027.

And yes, there’s talk — and concern — around the Competency-Based Curriculum transition. Officials keep offering reassurances that the system will work. But what’s the real issue here?

Adults are busy worrying about the “career direction” of 14 and 15-year-olds. Parents are in panic, trying to find the right senior school for a child who says they want to be an aeronautical engineer. Really? A 15-year-old being tunnel-visioned into a future, that adults themselves can’t quite figure out?

Meanwhile, the senior schools meant to absorb these learners are waving red flags: crumbling infrastructure, missing labs and sports equipment, lack of arts teachers, and a glaring unpreparedness for CBE.

But of course, the priority is 2027.

And so as your favourite politician lines up to visit your church or town this weekend — with a few dance moves, some insults and sneering contests – the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) is out of money.

HELB recently admitted it couldn’t pay tuition for university students in the second semester of the year. But don’t worry. That, too, will be resolved... in 2027.

Should I talk about healthcare? Or should I save that for 2027 as well?

Just for the record — the government says SHA is working. It’s covering hospital bills, registering up to 23 million Kenyans. A leap, they say, from NHIF's 9 million mostly formally employed subscribers.

Only that... just about 4 million of those SHA subscribers are actively contributing. And yes, there have been ideas — like loaning non-payers from the Hustler Fund — but are they really boarding? 

SHA aside, what is the quality of healthcare at your nearby health facility? And how did it go with your last prescription? Did you find your tests and medicine at the hospital or you were referred to a private facility? 

Remember this: in June, KEMSA declared Ksh.9.5 billion worth of medicine expired. And now, the country urgently needs Ksh.600 million just to dispose of the waste. But no need to panic — all shall be resolved in August 2027.

So then, let’s keep running. Running away from issues affecting mwananchi. Let’s keep fighting over Wantam and Tutam – neither of which can be served at the family dinner table.

Let us coach parents on how to raise their children, while withholding capitation to the schools and universities where those children are meant to grow.

Let’s stay on autopilot in public affairs — where the national Cabinet meets to approve policy papers but ignores the people’s deepest pain points.

Where Cabinet Secretaries have become campaigners for Tutam, praising some vague empowerment programme worth a few coins, in a country with a Ksh.4 trillion budget. And while they’re at it, take swipes at the opposition. The bright star here is 2027.

Yes, it’s all systems go to the finish line. We’re finishing the race in August 2027. These little disruptions — of health, of education, of unsafe schools and unstable incomes — can wait.

After all, they’re just minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things. Because here, a good fight isn’t about what it fixes. It’s about what it wins.

And make no mistake — the winning here is about votes. Which, really, makes no sense to sensible people...Who just want to live their lives.

That’s my sense tonight.