Everytime you switch on your tv set you wont miss at least one station discussing about the oncoming elections with an array of analyst paraded to give their perspectives. While this may be perceived as an obvious issue this being an election year, there seems to be an obsession among the media houses on whose name will appear on the ballot paper and likely scenarios if one group of politician either failing to make it or if they join forces to make a formidable team that'll defeat that or the other candidate.
Historically, Kenyans have been known to stick with one of their 'own' during elections not only as a sign of loyalty but sadly too, they believe that having one of their own in a position of influence will certainly ensure that they secure plum jobs in the civil service and win lucrative tenders in such departments as defense and education. This is normally at the altar of other voiceless minorities who essentially cannot garner enough votes to boost their bargaining power.
Our media has lately been engrossed with the politics of who is going to win the elections and how individual tribes are expected to determine the fate of one or the other candidate. This to me is missing the key point which doesn't really help anyone at this moment in time. Kenya is at a critical period especially after the disputed 2007/2008 elections which saw the death and massive displacement of thousands of innocent people, loss of property and defilement of women and children. The judiciary is trying very hard to facelift its hitherto tattered image which was renown for selling justice to the highest bidder.
In my view, when media houses dwell so much on political parties, their candidates and voting blocks, they are playing into the hands of these politicians by granting them free publicity which they are after. What in my view the media should do is to take seriously and urgently the responsibility of shaping the opinion of the voters by engaging politicians in televised debates bringing all the presidential candidates in one platform for thorough interrogation. This should further be extend across the board to include contestants in both the senate and governor posts, otherwise we will get a raw deal as the same failures in parliament reappear elsewhere and clog our system thus slowing down the pace of devolution down to the counties.
Personally am fed up with the soap opera that is our parliament with politicians as casts most of whom have a mastery of tribal politics and always seen organising 'homecoming' parties and unnecessary rallies to whip up tribal support while pretending to be fighting for the greater masses. They have even infiltrated into our churches subterfuging men of cloth who shamelessly lay hands on their heads for blessings even before repenting for the blood on their hands that's crying for justice from the same God.
What we need more is to hear them being engaged in debates on issues that affect us. I want to hear the kind of blueprint the Premier Raila has for the thousands of unemployed graduates idling in estates with nothing to do, not just short term casual labor which is the domain of city council work. I want Ruto to clearly tell us what he intends to do in order to revolutionize our agriculture sector and ensure that a majority of Kenyans are cushioned from hunger in the face of climate change and that we achieve sustainable development before the MDGs deadline elapses; Uhuru Kenyatta needs to tell us what he intends to do about our ailing shilling, the high cost of living and the extravagance in the government's expenditure. He also needs to tell us what measures he has taken to fast track the EAC(East African Community) and establishing building blocks for trade between our neighboring countries; i want Kalonzo to tell Kenyans what his principles are, what has he done for this country and his constituency since he became an Mp or his is just another attempt to wield the instruments of power in order to protect his cronies while amassing enormous wealth while maintaining the status quo. Last but definitely not the least, what practical steps would Martha Karua, being the only female candidate, do concerning the dragon of corruption in this country and the rule of law. Why should we trust her? Is she ready to be the commander in chief of this country, does she appreciate the repercussions of our defence forces going to Somalia and how that is gonna affect our economy and security in the long run?
These are very critical issues that i believe any leader intending to lead this country ought to be judged against. We have a new constitution in place that was voted in by a majority of Kenyans in 2010 since they were convinced that it would mark a new chapter in their lives and ultimately bring an end to businesses as usual that characterized our politics and thus ensure that there is a paradigm shift in the way we think and approach issues as a country.Anyone who falls short of any of these demands is not fit to ran this country and therefore its only prudent to spare Kenyans the pain of having to go through a ballot paper full of candidates who don't matter. This in my view is what we should focus on.
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