Standard Digital World

Give us your agenda please!

Looking at what is happening in the political arena, there no denying that the dust from the race to statehouse has slowly but surely started gathering momentum. There is already a flurry of activities with leading lights either launching their political vehicles or crisscrossing the country looking for support. This to me is quite in order, no qualms whatsoever.

My problem is the way most of our leaders are going about their business. Using every opportunity to throw mud at their competitors, be they real or perceived. 

So I want to ask, what is your agenda? If every time you take the podium all you are doing is throwing insults at your competitors; telling us how they can’t be president of this country as opposed to why we should elect you as the president of the Republic of Kenya, why should anybody vote for you? If you can’t take time to examine challenges facing Kenya and design tangible solutions and convince the voters, then I must say you are not good enough to even move closer to the house on the hill.

Just in case those seeking the top job are not aware, let me offer some free advice, this country has changed and changed completely. I do not see anybody being voted president because of historical reasons, such as say, he was shortchanged by his coalition partner; his father helped bring independence; he has got a handsome face; he is harmless guy; she has been a tough woman; he has got a case at the ICC so we should show some sympathy etc. This I can bet will not happen.
If you seriously want to govern this country, you had better start telling Kenyans how you will make their life better by coming up with an attractive vision dressed up in tangible policies.

Why do I say this? I say this because majority of voters today are youth. Whilst in the past politicians have ignored the youth because for some reason they never turned out in big numbers to cast their ballot despite being the most active in rallies, this is not the case anymore. The ground has already shifted. Corroborated research has shown that the largest pie of voters expected to cast their ballot in the forthcoming General Elections will be comprised of people otherwise described as young. This being the case, you must know that old tricks will never work here anymore. 

Finally as I close, let me offer our leaders one of my early lessons as a young boy from my grandfather. You never win over the most beautiful girl in the village by always telling her how the other boys in competition are not good enough for her. You win by making sure that every opportunity you get with her, you tell her how good she is and how you will make her look even better. Then she will always have you on her mind and believe you are the better one for her. If you keep telling her about other boys chasing after her, you only succeed in arousing her interest in those other boys and not yourself.