Editor’s Note: Our GOTTA.news blogger today is Justus Kimari. He sheds light on his analysis of the average Kenyan voter.
The average Kenyan voter is confused in so many ways. And this confusion is brought about by a lack of informed knowledge about choosing leaders and the pull towards ethnic nationalism.
If you walk around seeking to find out the role of a Member of Parliament (MP) from common wananchi, chances are you will be surprised by the ensuing answers.
Many people believe that an MP’s job is to fight for the interests of a political party. Others will tell you they are disappointed that their MP has not attended all funerals and other social events in the constituency.
Some would hail an MP for being philanthropic and so forth. In such a scenario, very few would speak on an MP’s principal role of representation and making laws.
Currently, there are leaders who have been elected to leadership positions simply because the voter failed to take time to consider whether the person was equipped to execute their roles.
It is evident the average Kenyan voter is still labouring to differentiate between philanthropy, conmanship, and true leadership.
It follows that political conmen have exploited this loophole to get elected into leadership roles they can barely deliver.
This situation is replicated in other cadres of elected leadership, including the presidency, governors, woman representatives, senators, and MCAs.
What’s more, over the years, ethnic solidarity in the face of a we-versus-them political arrangement has only served to galvanise ethnic nationalism among voters.
Take an example from a scenario where ODM attacks Jubilee and Jubilee hits back.
In the ensuing conditions of chaos and emotions, the voter will be told that there are only two horses and anything in between is an ass (no pun intended).
This kind of politics is responsible for the election of many good-for-nothing fellows to leadership positions.
The Kenyan voter must thus wake up to prevent a Sisyphean situation, especially in the forthcoming 2022 poll.
This is the kind of situation where voters claim they will avoid demagogues only to find themselves electing the same people in the next election.
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In Greek mythology, the gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the position of Gotta.news. We welcome writers and bloggers to become a part of our blog network. Send your opinion to info@gotta.news.
