Kenya is set to have its first televised presidential debate
in a race that has attracted a total of eight candidates – one woman and 7 men -
all gunning for the top seat that will see the winner taking over a county
government system for the first time in our country’s history. The candidates are expected to discuss various
issues of national interest including the economy, health, security and
employment among many others. Among the
candidates in the race is the son of the founding father of Kenya Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
who is facing charges of crimes against humanity at the international criminal
court at The Hague. Others include the Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Martha
Karua, Peter Kenneth, Musalia Mudavadi, Prof. James Ole Kiyapi, Paul Muite and Mohammed Abduba.
This election comes as Kenya marks its 50th anniversary as an
independent state with many Kenyans pinning their hopes on the outcome of the
polls considering the events of the last disputed election which led cases of
violence.
Many people however, have their misgivings regarding the
impact of this debate considering the events leading up to it, where top leaders of
various political parties have been whipping up tribal sentiments while forming
coalitions based on tribal numbers as opposed to issues that affect the common
man on the street.
The presidential debates the world over, are meant to expose
the voters to the people who want to represent them as leaders. They present
them with a perfect chance to interrogate their policies and plans for the
country and clarify issues of public interest. In the US for instance, whose
presidential debates generate interest beyond their borders, leaders from all
the parties including the republicans, democrats, liberals and conservatives
are put to task concerning key issues affecting Americans like immigration, economy, job creation,
public health, gay and minority rights
and international policy among many others. While all these parties have
an unshakable traditional stand and approach on these issues, the debates help
especially the so called undecided voters and swing states to decide on whom to
vote for. Republicans are traditionally known for their emphasis on national security and a
firm stand on immigration laws whereas the democrats believe in scaling down
the military and the federal budget on intelligence while preferring a diplomatic
approach with foreign nations in tackling insecurity.
In Kenya, the situation is quite different. First of all our
political parties were and still are based on ethnic alliances and convenience
as opposed to a lasting value system capable of outliving generations of
leaders. Since the days of single party and multi-party democracy, the ruling party has been galvanizing support from
various ethnic groups which also reflected appointments to key government post
as a reward to loyalists and sycophants. This situation bred cartels within the
government who oversaw massive graft and embezzlement of public funds and
resources. Communities that didn't a have “one of their own” in the government were
marginalized and left behind as far as development is concerned. This situation
therefore forced them to coalesce around an ethnic agenda in order to
have a piece of the pie. This led to enmity among various communities who felt
treated unjustifiably as resources were skewly distributed. People therefore chose to stick with one of their own
for survival. This has colored the way we interact and certainly the way we
choose our leaders during elections. The sad thing is that young people who are supposed to
represent the future and therefore hope for this nation, are also corrupted to the core if sentiments and posts on the various social
media platforms are anything to by. The hope of the nation is erroneously said to lie
with the middle class who represent the swing vote but the problem is that they
are too comfortable to give a hoot. This debate will therefore be reduced to
something akin to a football match where supporters from either side cheer on their
team as opposed to a job interview that will give us the best man or woman for
the greatest job of leading our nation to a promising future. I remain optimistic.
