By Shazia Majale,
NAIROBI, Kenya: As younger beings, we have all been warned of birds that flock together; most definitely, their feathers flop in the same direction. Young, clueless, and rebellious, we thought, ‘How clueless!’ But lessons have to be taught in any way possible, fair or foul.
Generation after generation, politics in Kenya has been defined by tribal and ethnic backgrounds. If not, it’s backdoor handshakes, trivial issues of backstabbing, and elusive kickbacks. For the voter, it’s more or less guided by how believable a candidate is.
The recent unprecedented times in Kenya have awoken the populace to what exactly a politician is.He/she may be good intentions, have a vision to work miracles, speak in tongues, and call out wrongdoings, but when the sun goes down, they have self-serving interests.
The reason for the self-inventing of a politician is to align with the next campaign season, seeing as most of them have no real careers.
The faith and gusto in politicians are dwindling by the day, and everyday happenings are making it hard to maintain their following.
Kenyans are learning fast and firsthand that if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, you don’t have to see it to know it’s a duck! Between the opposition’s faltering everyday statements, to very vocal politicians now mum, an opposition head with next to zero influence, and opposition leaders running around like headless chickens, the populace can see right through the chicanery.
The fallacy in the political class is now a crumbled cookie, and with more demands for accountability, the more crumbled it gets.
The ruling party scrambles for authenticity with every passing minute while it becomes more elusive.
The public has made it its business to know how public funds are used and actually want value for their taxes.
While it may be okay for politicians to operate in the shadows in these times in order to avoid public scrutiny and plan their next moves, the trumpet has already been sounded, and thorough analysis is being done to keep the public informed in as little as a misdemeanor.
As a country that has thrown all caution to the winds, we might never agree on so many issues, but governance is where lines are drawn.
