After being blocked from contesting in 2018 by the then President Joseph Kabila regime, DRC business mogul and philanthropist Moïse Katumbi has finally made it to the ballot for the 2023 General Elections billed for next week Wednesday, 20 December, 2023.
However, Katumbi did not make it to the ballot without any challenges and hurdles thrown in his way once again as he has had to navigate through a plethora of antagonism from his political rivals.
From attempts to invalidate his candidature using the powers that be, false accusations about his nationality, multiple arrests of his allies and unfortunately assassinations of some too, the man from Kashobwe village has traversed through but for what?
Katumbi, a successful businessman, has long manifested a great passion to liberate the Congolese population from the suffering and agony heaped on them as a result of bad governance and neglect that became worse so under the disastrous Fèlix Tshisekedi, President in the past five years.
The former governor of Katanga Province and a pioneer of several developmental projects, at his own cost, has set out major plans to free the people of the DR Congo from the shackles of the thieving, incompetent and neglective governance of the Tshisekedi regime.
Katumbi has five key areas on top of his agenda once assuming office and they include security, judicial system, economy, education as well as transportation.
• Security
After years of regional fighting particularly in the eastern part of the country, Tshisekedi had promised in his pre-election campaign prior to the 2018 polls vowed to end the violence but the situation has only gotten worse after his five year term of office.
Katumbi now plans to establish and order in the east as well as the entire DRC with a massive investment of US$11 billion into the country’s defence sector.
The Ensemble Pour la Republique leader plans to set up 10 well equip rapid response army bases in the DRC’s war-ravaged territories of North-Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri Provinces to curb the violence.
He also has prioritized the general walfare of the army personnel and intends to improve payments and household funds for the men in uniform.
• Judicial System
Katumbi has vowed to ensure his presidential mandate abolishes the dictatorship, corruption and lack of respect for human rights that have become the order of the day under Tshisekedi.
Establishment of rule of law is a top priority for Katumbi as he looks to liberate the country from hostility, unequal distribution of the national assets as well as unjust treatment of citizens that have been long perpetrated.
Katumbi aims to give the Congolese judicial system the outmost autonomy in order to serve the rule of law with due diligence and competence.
• Economy
The DRC currently faces one of its worst economic crisis in history with the nation’s currency, the Franc performing its worst against the US dollar in the last five years with Tshisekedi as president.
On top of that, the DRC’s debt rate has risen by almost double since Tshisekedi took office that has been characterized with plundering of funds from the public purse by the president’s family and high-ranking government officials.
Katumbi has set out to plans to instill accountability and prudent management of public funds with the abolishment of several thieving loopholes to recoup the nation’s monetary capacity and spur economic transformation.
• Transportation
As part of his plan to revive the ailing Congolese economy, Katumbi plans to launch a massive 23,000km road construction project to link up the DRC.
Through this project, Katumbi aims to improve trade in mining as well as agriculture so as to help grow the economy and reduce on unemployment in the country.
Katumbi has set out to provide jobs to 3.5 million Congolese people in his first five year term of office.
• Education
As a firm believer in the famous quote by Nelson Mandela “Education is the key to success”, Katumbi has put on top of his agenda, the education sector.
Katumbi has planned to construct 50,000 classrooms across the DRC as well as employment of 15,000 teachers in five years.
