POLITICS
We are nearing the elections here in Kenya. The political temperatures have risen as we draw closer and closer to this big day for politicians. The election, as we say over here, is a two-horse race, with a number of donkeys that have thrown their hats in the ring. The main contenders for the seat of president are Hon. Raila Odinga and the deputy president, H. E. William Ruto.
It is a defining moment in the history of our nation more so because the president, H. E. Uhuru Kenyatta whose relationship with his deputy has soured over the years, has openly declared his support for his arch rival, Odinga.
All Kenyans have their preferred candidates in the election. They have their own justification, and Kenya, being a democratic republic, does not impose people on the citizens.
The key issues raised by candidates from the extreme ends of the political divide are corruption – in which, in the case of the proverbial monkey that does not see its bottoms – the deputy president does not fare so well; and dynasties – those individuals born and raised in families that have had their hands on the steering wheel of this nation.
Because of the noise generated, Kenyans are likely to choose wrong leaders. We use the ability of a leader to draw crowds as a yardstick to measure how apt one could be as an elected leader. It has happened before. And we have suffered consequences for those choices we have made. This is the time we need to, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr, judge one by the content of one’s character.
Lastly, good leaders don’t fall from the skies; they are voted into office. On the morning of the election, please do your civic duty: go to the polling centre where you registered as a voter and cast your vote. We need and deserve good leaders in this land called Kenya.
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