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Smart Choices 2017

It’s another election year…yippee. Don’t you just love election years in Kenya? This is the time when all the tribal behemoths come out promising utopian, never-to-be-implemented projects, dig up controversial scandals to disqualify competitors, and use state machinery inappropriately to make sure they never leave power. Ahhh yes, election period… good times. 

 In my home county… two aspirants were declared winners in the same gubernatorial race at different polling stations. How this is possible is still a mystery. They both received official provisional certificates and were given the opportunity to give a heartfelt thank you speech to all their supporters for voting them in not knowing that their opponent had also won on the other side. Elections in Africa will never cease to amaze me.  #JustforLaughs2017 -Kenya Edition.
Photo Credit: Kenya Today
Back to the topic: Politics and Development.

As a technocrat, it is generally frowned upon to openly discuss political issues. For some reason it is viewed as a less professional quality. While I completely agree that politics and the work place do not go together, I still believe that professionals need to be clear and vocal on political issues especially when they directly impact on development. This should be done through the right platforms. I strongly believe that African professionals are partly to blame for the poor caliber of politics in their countries. The general lack of participation in civic processes by technocrats has created a conducive environment for mediocrity in leadership and development. As Noam Chomsky rightly puts it," Passivity may be the easy course, but it is hardly the honorable one".

Nairobi, being the capital of Kenya, has a very strong impact on how other cities and urban areas develop. When the citizens get it wrong in the capital, they set a wrong precedence for the rest of the country. In 2013, Nairobi citizens voted in a technocrat to the widely coveted Governor’s seat. The city has deteriorated to say the least. It is dirty and chaotic, filled with street families, running battles with hawkers, matatus parking on kerbs, a million traffic police (plus their bosses) duplicating the role of traffic lights, and unforgiving sidewalks that make walking in high heels an impossible feat.  

Senator Mike Sonko
Photo Credits: Internet
The Nairobi gubernatorial nominations just ended. I was looking forward to having Peter Kenneth, another technocrat, battle it out with Dr. Kidero. That would have been quite an interesting race with both candidates trying to out sophisticate the other…but the middle-class office folk did not make the time to go vote for the technocrat Kenneth in the primaries. They were busy catching up with some deadline or something, so Senator Mike Sonko won.

I must say I was a little disappointed at first, but when Sonko appeared all cleaned up for his first interview on Citizen TV I was taken aback. He actually looked like a potential governor and I almost forgot his previous unimpressive public escapades. While it is true that the incumbent has done well with projects like introducing E-parking systems, beautification of Uhuru Highway, among others...I am not convinced that these will be enough to give him a second term. As things stand, I cannot completely write off Sonko. He might win the elections based on blind euphoria as opposed to merit.

Jubilee Candidate for Nairobi Governorship - Senator Mike Sonko
Photo credits: Citizen TV 

Smart choices: Who is your next Governor?

My point is this. While we have very little control over the factors that will guide the direction of voting this year, there is one position that we should make a very smart choice on: the Governor's Seat. The Governor is not merely a politician, he/she is the president of the county, its manager, and his/her decisions have a direct impact on our day to day lives. 

What kind of city/town/centre do you want to live in? Does your preferred candidate have any development track record? Is development a real priority in your candidate's speech? What kind of basic services are lacking in your county? Do you have clean, piped water? Electricity? Garbage collection? Drainage? Has he/she addressed any of these challenges in his/her campaign?Are you willing to hold your candidate accountable to his/her pledges?

There is so much potential for development and progress in the Governor's Seat and even more in the Council of Governors. Let us make a smart choice on this one in all the 47 counties. Good governors have the power to drive real development in the country for the next five years. The choice is ours. 

Allow me to pen off… Have a lovely week people!


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