By Angela Ambitho
NAIROBI, KENYA: Come on, indulge and take a journey with me to the dreamland this Sunday, won’t you. Now, close your eyes and imagine that you were the most powerful person in Kenya; the President. Everyone’s at your beck and call. Imagine that you had the power to make things happen, to truly make a difference in the lives of millions of people. What would you do? How would you start crafting your legacy so that you were more popular than Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama combined?
The first thing you would want to do is shed the notion that you were president only of a selected few. You would acknowledge that deep rifts exist among the citizenry and cohesion only exists in theory but not in practice. In forming your government, you would go out of your way to select capable individuals from the tribes that love you the least to the Cabinet positions that mean the most. Contrary to expectation you wouldn’t pick culprits considered as polarising by their communities, instead you would go for those considered as neutral and respected as able.
Further still, you would go all out and embrace a 50-50 gender split in Government to demonstrate your faith in women. These bold actions would shock even those who loathe you into accepting you as a leader who is serious about making a difference. Of course, you would be challenged to balance this boldness with rewarding stalwarts lest you experience internal upheaval.
Second, you would want to demonstrate that you not only empathise with your people’s concerns, but that you are also willing to do something to alleviate their suffering. You would take bold steps towards reigniting the economy by boosting trade, initiating tax cuts and reducing inflation. You would spend sleepless nights ensuring that the standard of living especially among the people was radically improved. You would want to improve our economy just as dramatically as Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton did during their tenures as great presidents. In improving livelihoods you would of course have to determine how to deal with the current hefty budget deficits you inherited while at the same time fulfilling your ambitious campaign promises.
Third, you would insist on being hands-on and alive to what the people think and feel. You would shed gatekeepers keen on owning you and shielding you from reality. You would insist on watching and reading news daily, spending time with civil society and other critics unafraid of being honest. Making incognito tours to various parts of the country to update yourself on the incessant noise and air pollution, the nerve wrecking traffic, the poor drainage systems, the high rate of insecurity and the uninspired faces of your people would keep you sane and realistic. And when you give speeches they would be full of empathy and resonation. You would be a true “man of the people”. How to achieve this against the backdrop of your tight security detail would be your utmost challenge.
Fourth, you would crack the whip on corruption and keep away from any individuals who have been associated with scandals like Anglo leasing and Goldenberg, as this would only serve to damage your reputation. You would walk the talk when it comes to integrity and the safeguarding of public assets. You would shun cronyism and all those wheeler-dealers who suck up just to get lucrative tenders believing that it’s truly their time to eat. Apart from giving priority to women and youth, you would also insist that due process in awarding Government contracts is exercised.
When all is said and done, imagine how great it would be to be a leader who was loved by many, respected by most and remembered for long. Fortunately for you, it’s time to wake up to the relief and reality that you aren’t the most powerful person in Kenya! Wouldn’t it be wonderful though if the most powerful person did some of the things you dreamt a powerful person like him could do? Imagine that!
