A few ways to fix a government | Charity Wayua

Translator: Sophia Mwema Reviewer: Nelson Simfukwe

Growing up in Kenya,

Tangu nilipokulia Kenya,

I knew I always wanted to study biochemistry.

nilijua nilitaka kusoma biokemia.

See, I had seen the impact of the high prevalence of diseases like malaria,

Unaona, nilishuhudia madhara ya magonjwa kama malaria,

and I wanted to make medicines that would cure the sick.

na nilitaka kutafuta dawa ya kutibu wagonjwa.

So I worked really hard,

Hivyo nilijituma kwa bidii,

got a scholarship to the United States, where I became a cancer researcher,

nikapata udhamini kutoka Marekani, ambapo nilikuwa mtafiti wa kansa

and I loved it.

na nilipenda kazi yangu.

For someone who wants to cure diseases,

Kwa mtu anayetaka kutibu magonjwa,

there is no higher calling.

hakuna wito mkubwa zaidi.

Ten years later, I returned to Kenya to do just that.

Miaka kumi baadaye, nilirudi Kenya kwa kufanya hilo tu.

A freshly minted PhD,

msomi mwenye PhD,

ready to take on this horrific illness,

tayari kupambana na ugonjwa huu kutisha,

which in Kenya was almost certainly a death sentence.

ambao ulikuwa kama adhabu ya kifo kwa hakika kwa Kenya.

But instead of landing a job in a pharmaceutical company

Badala ya kuchukua kazi katika kampuni ya madawa

or a hospital,

au hospitali,

I found myself drawn to a different kind of lab,

Nilijikuta nikiitikia wito katika maabara tofauti,

working with a different kind of patient --

kutibu mgonjwa wa aina nyingine --

a patient whose illness was so serious

mgonjwa ambaye ugonjwa wake ulikuwa mkubwa

it impacted every single person in my country;

na kuathiri kila mtu katika nchi yangu;

a patient who needed to get healthy fast.

mgonjwa aliyehitaji kuponwya upesi.

That patient was my government.

Mgonjwa huyo alikuwa serikali yangu.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

See, many of us will agree that lots of governments are unhealthy today.

Tazama, wengi wetu tunakubaliana kwamba serikali zetu leo zina afya mbovu.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

(Applause)

(Makofi)

And Kenya was no exception.

Na Kenya haina upekee.

When I returned to Kenya in 2014,

Niliporudi Kenya mwaka 2014,

there was 17 percent youth unemployment.

asilimia 17 ya vijana hawakuwa na ajira.

And Nairobi, the major business hub,

Na Nairobi, kitovu kuu cha biashara ,

was rated 177th on the quality of living index.

ilikuwa ya 177 kwa ubora wa maisha duniani.

It was bad.

hali Ilikuwa mbaya.

Now, an economy is only as healthy as the entities that make it up.

Sasa, afya ya uchumi inategemea afya ya mashirika ambayo huifanya.

So when government --

Hivyo serikali -

one of its most vital entities --

moja ya taasisi zake muhimu -

is weak or unhealthy,

inapokuwa dhaifu au ina afya mbaya,

everyone and everything suffers.

kila mtu na kila kitu vinateseka.

Sometimes you might put a Band-Aid in place

Wakati mwingine unaweza kuweka plasta

to try and temporarily stop the pain.

kujaribu kupunguza maumivu kwa muda

Maybe some of you here have participated

Labda baadhi yenu hapa mmeshiriki

in a Band-Aid operation to an African country --

katika wimbi la utoaji misaada Afrika --

setting up alternative schools, building hospitals, digging wells --

kuanzisha shule mbadala, kujenga hospitali, kuchimba visima --

because governments there either weren't or couldn't provide

kwa sababu serikali hazikutaka ama hazikuweza

the services to their citizens.

kuhudumia wananchi wao.

We all know this is a temporary solution.

Sote tunajua haya masuluhisho ni ya muda mfupi.

There are just some things Band-Aids can't fix,

Kuna baadhi ya mambo ambayo misaada haiwezi kutatua,

like providing an environment where businesses feel secure

kama kujenga mazingira ambapo wafanyabiashara hujisikia salama

that they'll have an equal opportunity

kuwa watakuwa na fursa sawa

to be able to run and start their businesses successfully.

kuweza kuanza na kuendesha biashara zao kwa ufanisi.

Or there are systems in place

Au kuna mifumo

that would protect the private property that they create.

ambayo huwawezesha kulinda mali walizovuna.

I would argue,

Ningependa kusema,

only government is capable of creating these necessary conditions

Serikali pekee ndiyo inaweza kujenga mazingira muhimu

for economies to thrive.

kwa ajili ya ustawi wa uchumi.

Economies thrive when business are able to quickly and easily set up shop.

Uchumi hustawi pale biashara zinaweza kuanzishwa kwa urahisi.

Business owners create new sources of income for themselves,

wamiliki wa biashara hujiekea vyanzo vipya vya mapato,

new jobs get added into the economy

ajira zinazoongezwa katika uchumi

and then more taxes are paid to fund public projects.

na mapato ya kodi ili kufadhili miradi ya umma.

New business is good for everyone.

Biashara mpya zinamnufaisha kila mtu.

And it's such an important measure of economic growth,

Na ni kipimo muhimu cha ukuaji wa uchumi,

the World Bank has a ranking called the "Ease of Doing Business Ranking,"

Benki ya Dunia ina kipimo kinachotwa "Mazingira ya Kufanya Biashara,"

which measures how easy or difficult it is to start a business

ambacho hulinganisha urahisi au ugumu wa kuanzisha biashara

in any given country.

katika nchi yoyote.

And as you can imagine,

Na kama unavyofikiria,

starting or running a business in a country with an ailing government --

kuanzisha au kuendesha biashara katika nchi ambayo serikali ni mgonjwa --

almost impossible.

karibia haiwezekani.

The President of Kenya knew this, which is why in 2014,

Rais wa Kenya alijua hili, hivyo mwaka 2014,

he came to our lab and asked us to partner with him

alikuja katika maabara yetu na kuomba tushirikiane naye

to be able to help Kenya to jump-start business growth.

kuisaidia Kenya katika ukuaji wa biashara.

He set an ambitious goal:

Aliweka lengo kuu:

he wanted Kenya to be ranked top 50 in this World Bank ranking.

alitaka Kenya kuwa kati ya nchi 50 za juu katika kipimo hiki cha Benki ya Dunia.

In 2014 when he came,

Mwaka 2014 alipokuja,

Kenya was ranked 136 out of 189 countries.

Kenya ilikuwa ya 136 kati ya nchi 189.

We had our work cut out for us.

kazi yetu ilikuwa bayana.

Fortunately, he came to the right place.

Bahati nzuri, alikuja kwa watu muafaka.

We're not just a Band-Aid kind of team.

Hatukuwa timu ya kutoa misaada tu.

We're a group of computer scientists, mathematicians, engineers

Sisi ni kundi la wanasayansi wa kompyuta, wanahisabati, wahandisi

and a cancer researcher,

na mtafiti wa kansa,

who understood that in order to cure the sickness

ambao tulielewa kwamba ili kutibu ugonjwa

of a system as big as government,

katika mfumo kubwa kama serikali,

we needed to examine the whole body,

tulibidi kuchunguza mwili mzima,

and then we needed to drill down all the way from the organs,

kisha tulibudi kuchimba ndani zaidi katika viungo,

into the tissues,

katika tishu,

all the way to single cells,

kote hadi kwa seli mojamoja,

so that we could properly make a diagnosis.

ili tunaweza kuchunguza vizuri.

So with our marching orders from the President himself,

Hivyo kwa maagizo ya Rais mwenyewe,

we embarked on the purest of the scientific method:

tulianza na njia halisi kabisa ya kisayansi:

collecting data --

kukusanya data

all the data we could get our hands on --

data zote tulizoweza kupata--

making hypotheses,

kuunda nadharia,

creating solutions,

kutafuta ufumbuzi,

one after the other.

mmoja baada nyingine.

So we met with hundreds of individuals who worked at government agencies,

Hivyo tulikutana na mamia ya watu waliofanya kazi katika mashirika ya serikali,

from the tax agency, the lands office, utilities company,

kuanzia vyombo vya kodi, ardhi, kampuni za huduma,

the agency that's responsible for registering companies,

shirika kenya jukumu la kusajili makampuni,

and with each of them, we observed them as they served customers,

na kwa kila mmoja yao, tuliwaangalia kama walivyohudumia wateja wao ,

we documented their processes -- most of them were manual.

tuliweka kumbukumbu ya michakato yao - mingi ilitegemea kazi ya mikono.

We also just went back and looked at a lot of their previous paperwork

Pia tulirudi kuangalia makaratasi ya kazi zao za awali

to try and really understand;

kujaribu kuelewa vyema zaidi;

to try and diagnose what bodily malfunctions had occurred

kujaribu kutambua nini katika mwili hakifanyi kazi vizor

that lead to that 136th spot on the World Bank list.

na kusababisha kuwa ya 136 katika orodha ya Benki ya Dunia.

What did we find?

Tuligundua nini?

Well, in Kenya it was taking 72 days

Naam, ilichukua siku 72 kwa

for a business owner to register their property,

mfanyabiashara kusajili mali yake Kenya,

compared to just one day in New Zealand,

ikilinganishwa na siku moja tu katika New Zealand,

which was ranked second on the World Bank list.

ambayo ilikuwa ya pili katika orodha Benki ya Dunia.

It took 158 days to get a new electric connection.

Ilichukua siku 158 kupata umeme.

In Korea it took 18 days.

Korea, ilichukua siku 18.

If you wanted to get a construction permit

Ukitaka kibali cha ujenzi

so you could put up a building,

ili kuweza kujenga,

in Kenya, it was going to take you 125 days.

Kenya, ilikuchukua siku 125.

In Singapore, which is ranked first, that would only take you 26 days.

Katika Singapore, ambayo ni nafasi ya kwanza, ilichukua siku 26.

God forbid you had to go to court

Hasha, ikubidi uenda mahakamani

to get help in being able to settle a dispute to enforce a contract,

kupata msaada kutatua mzozo na kutekeleza mkataba,

because that process alone would take you 465 days.

kwa sababu mchakato peke yake tu utachukua siku 465.

And if that wasn't bad enough,

Na kama hiyo halikuwa mbaya,

you would lose 40 percent of your claim in just fees --

utapoteza asilimia 40 ya madai yako katika ada tu --

legal fees, enforcement fees, court fees.

gharama ya kisheria, ya utekelezaji, ya mahakama.

Now, I know what you're thinking:

Sasa, najua kile unachofikiri:

for there to exist such inefficiencies in an African country,

ili kuwepo na uhaba huo wa ufanisi katika nchi ya kiafrika,

there must be corruption.

lazima kuwe na rushwa.

The very cells that run the show must be corrupt to the bone.

Seli kuu husika lazima iwe inahusishwa na rushwa.

I thought so, too, actually.

Nilidhani hivyo, pia.

When we started out,

Tulipoanza,

I thought I was going to find so much corruption,

Nilitarajia kukuta rushwa nyingi katika mfumo,

I was literally going to either die or get killed in the process.

Nilihisi ningekufa ama kuuawa katika mchakato.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

But when we dug deeper,

Lakini tulipochunguza kiundani,

we didn't find corruption in the classic sense:

hatukukuta rushwa katika maana ya kawaida:

slimy gangsters lurking in the darkness,

majambazi wakinyemea kwenye giza,

waiting to grease the palms of their friends.

wakisubiri lusaka mafuta mikono ya marafiki zao.

What we found was an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Tulichogundua ni hisia kubwa ya unyonge.

Our government was sick,

Serikali yetu ilikuwa mgonjwa,

because government employees felt helpless.

kwa sababu wafanyakazi wa serikali walijiona wanyonge.

They felt that they were not empowered to drive change.

Walihisi hawakuwa na uwezo wa kuendesha mabadiliko.

And when people feel stuck and helpless,

Na watu wanapojisikia kukwama na wanyonge,

they stop seeing their role in a bigger system.

huacha kuona majukumu yao katika mfumo mzimo.

They start to think the work they do doesn't matter in driving change.

Huanza kufikiri kazi yao haijalishi katika kuendesha mabadiliko.

And when that happens,

Na hilo linapotokea,

things slow down,

mambo huenda polepole,

fall through the cracks

nyufa hujitokeza

and inefficiencies flourish.

na ukosefu wa ufanisi hunawiri.

Now imagine with me,

Sasa fikiria na mimi,

if you had a process you had to go through --

kama ulikuwa na mchakato ulibidi kufuata --

had no other alternative --

na hukuwa na njia nyingine --

and this process was inefficient, complex

na utaratibu huu ulikosa ufanisi, ulikuwa tata

and very, very slow.

na taratibu mno.

What would you do?

Ungefanya nini?

I think you might start by trying to find somebody to outsource it to,

Nadhani unaweza kujaribu kutafuta mtu mwingine akufanyie hilo jukumu,

so that they can just take care of that for you.

ili tu wafanye kwa niaba yako.

If that doesn't work,

Kama hafanikiwi,

maybe you'd consider paying somebody

labda utafikiria kumlipa mtu

to just "unofficially" take care of it on your behalf --

'kiholela' tu ili kufanya kwa niaba yako --

especially if you thought nobody was going to catch you.

hasa unapodhani hakuna mtu atakukamata.

Not out of malice or greed,

Sio kwa nia mbaya au uchoyo,

just trying to make sure that you get something to work for you

ili tu kuhakikisha mambo yanakuendea vizuri

so you can move on.

ili uweze kuendelea na biashara zako.

Unfortunately, that is the beginning of corruption.

Kwa bahati mbaya, huo ndio mwanzo wa rushwa.

And if left to thrive and grow,

Na kama ikiachwa kustawi na kukua,

it seeps into the whole system,

inavuja katika mfumo mzima,

and before you know it,

na kabla ya kujitambua,

the whole body is sick.

mwili mzima huumwa.

Knowing this,

Tukijua hili,

we had to start by making sure

tulianza kwa kuhakikisha

that every single stakeholder we worked with had a shared vision

kwamba kila mdau tuliyeshirikiana nae alikuwa na malengo kama yetu

for what we wanted to do.

kwa ajili ya tulichotaka kutimiza.

So we met with everyone,

Hivyo tulikutana na kila mtu,

from the clerk whose sole job is to remove staples

kuanzia karani ambaye kazi yake pekee ni kufungua

from application packets,

pakiti za maombi,

to the legal drafters at the attorney general's office,

hadi waandaaji wa sheria katika ofisi ya mwanasheria mkuu,

to the clerks who are responsible for serving business owners

kwa makarani mwenye wajibu kwa kuwahudumia wamiliki wa biashara

when they came to access government services.

walipo kuja kupata huduma za serikali.

And with them,

Na pamoja nao,

we made sure that they understood

tulihakikisha kwamba walielewa

how their day-to-day actions were impacting our ability as a country

jinsi matendo yao ya kila siku huathiri uwezo wetu kama nchi

to create new jobs and to attract investments.

kujenga ajira mpya na kuvutia uwekezaji.

No one's role was too small; everyone's role was vital.

hakuna jukumu dogo; jukumu la kila mtu lilikuwa muhimu.

Now, guess what we started to see?

Sasa, kisia tulianza kuona nini?

A coalition of government employees

Muungano wa wafanyakazi wa serikali

who are excited and ready to drive change,

wenye motisha wa kuleta mabadiliko,

began to grow and form.

ulianza kukua na kuonekana.

And together we started to implement changes

Na pamoja tuliaanza kutekeleza mabadiliko

that impacted the service delivery of our country.

yaliyoathiri utoaji wa huduma nchini.

The result?

Matokeo?

In just two years,

Katika miaka miwili tu,

Kenya's ranking moved from 136 to 92.

Kenya ilitoka kuwa ya 136 hadi ya 92.

(Applause)

(Makofi)

And in recognition of the significant reforms we've been able to implement

Na katika kutambua mageuzi tuliyoweza kutekeleza

in such a short time,

katika muda mfupi,

Kenya was recognized

Kenya ilitambuliwa

to be among the top three global reformers in the world

kuwa miongoni mwa nchi tatu kimataifa katika marekebisho

two years in a row.

miaka miwili mfululizo

(Applause)

(Makofi)

Are we fully healthy?

Je tuna afya nzuri kikamilifu?

No.

Hapana.

We have some serious work still to do.

Bado tuna kazi kubwa ya kufanya.

I like to think about these two years like a weight-loss program.

Napenda kufikiria miaka hii miwili kama harakati ya kupunguza uzito.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

It's that time after months of hard, grueling work at the gym,

Ni ule muda baada ya miezi ya bidii, na mazoezi makable,

and then you get your first time to weigh yourself,

na kisha unapopima uzito kwa mara ya kwanza,

and you've lost 20 pounds.

na umepoteza paundi 20.

You're feeling unstoppable.

Unajisikia hausimamishwiki.

Now, some of you may think this doesn't apply to you.

Sasa, baadhi yenu mnaweza kufikiria hili haliwahusu.

You're not from Kenya.

Wewe sio Mkenya.

You don't intend to be an entrepreneur.

Huna nia ya kuwa mwekezaji.

But think with me for just a moment.

Lakini kufikiri na mimi japo mara moja tu.

When is the last time you accessed a government service?

Lini mara ya mwisho ulipotumia huduma ya serikali?

Maybe applied for your driver's license,

Labda kupata leseni ya udereva,

tried to do your taxes on your own.

kufanya mahesabu ya kodi peke yako.

It's easy in this political and global economy

Ni rahisi katika uchumi huu wa kisiasa na dunia

to want to give up when we think about transforming government.

kutaka kukata tamaatunapofikiria kubadilisha serikali.

We can easily resign to the fact or to the thinking

Ni rahisi kujiuzulu kutoka kwa wajibu tu kwa kufikiria

that government is too inefficient,

kuwa serikali haina ufanisi,

too corrupt,

ina rushwa mno,

unfixable.

hairekebishiki.

We might even rarely get some key government responsibilities

Huenda tukapata majukumu muhimu katika serikali

to other sectors,

katika sekta nyingine,

to Band-Aid solutions,

katika suluhisho la utoaji misaada,

or to just give up and feel helpless.

au kukata tu tamaa na kujisikia wanyonge.

But just because a system is sick doesn't mean it's dying.

Lakini, kwa sababu tu mfumo unaumwa haina maana unakufa.

We cannot afford to give up

Hatuna starehe ya kukata tamaa

when it comes to the challenges of fixing our governments.

inapohusu changamoto za kuzirekebisha serikali zetu.

In the end,

Hatimaye,

what really makes a government healthy is when healthy cells --

serikali hula na afya pale tu ambapo seli huwa na afya--

that's you and I --

huyo ni wewe na mimi --

get to the ground,

kunuia,

roll up our sleeves,

kukunja mkono ya mashati yetu,

refuse to be helpless

kukataa kuwa wanyonge

and believe that sometimes,

na kuamini kuwa wakati mwingine,

all it takes is for us to create some space

kinachoitajika ili kujenga nafasi, ni sisi,

for healthy cells to grow and thrive.

kwa ajili ya seli kukua na kustawi.

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)