Quality leadership knows no age

Calls for generational leadership change solely based on where one sits in the age bracket are misleading.

Youth pushing for change should be able to put in place the kind of political leadership qualities desired given their electoral numerical strength and not necessarily one of their own.

It is interesting that most of those calling for the youth to take over as leaders themselves have criminal cases pending in courts due to abuse of political office, and suffer integrity crises.

They have fallen short of spelling out exactly how the ills in society are going to be eradicated by individuals whose only credit is the brevity of their chronological years.

These so-called youthful leaders have let Kenyans down miserably, both in their personal and political lives. History reveals that of all the ills to recently bedevil the country, more than 50 per cent of the youth are culpable.

They are guilty of having participated in post-election violence, horse-trading in Parliament, playing cheerleader roles, vote buying, cobbling together political alliances based on ethnic affiliations (read KKK), espousing for regional nationalism, voter apathy and entrenching impunity.

Promiscuity

At a personal level, they traffic in, and abuse, drugs, engage in cultism, chauvinism, tribalism, suicidal and murderous longings, promiscuity and run away greed, among others.

From a criminal perspective, the youth are more likely to engage in armed robbery, be part of outlawed vigilante groups and are largely responsible for the carnage on our roads.

If the youth elected an octogenarian president who could turn the country around, that would be much needed change.

{Charles Ayoma, Nairobi}

The clamour for leadership by the youth is an exercise in futility. Leadership is not a game nor is it a physical activity that requires the strength and vigour synonymous with youth.

Leadership entails enhanced mental faculties, humility, intuition and conscience. On both sides of the age divide we have strengths and weaknesses but in terms of strengths, the youth are disadvantaged.

The clamour for leadership by people claiming to be youths is fraudulent. We need to determine at what stage youth starts and ends. My take is that youth starts at 18 and ends at 35 years.

If we go by this, those traversing the country to propagate their views on who should lead the country are imposters for the single reason that they have all crossed the divide line.

A clear distinction should be made between old age and senility. Senile leaders are a liability. However, the greed by those angling for the presidency is worrying because it shows that once they are in State House, it will require a natural calamity to kick them out.

In politics, age is not a factor except where the constitution explicitly gives guidelines. I have no problem with the elderly or the youth leading the country as long as they are issue-oriented, objective and they can convince the electorate that they can deliver.

The power of the ballot is unassailable and nobody gets elected to national leadership at funerals, no matter how hoarse you shout.

{Alexander Chagema, Kakamega}

Attacks on Christians the work of cowards

The recent cowardly attacks on defenceless minority Christians in Egypt and Iraq must be condemned by Muslims the world over.

The attacks took place in churches, which are places of worship. No true Muslim could ever countenance such cruel and barbaric behaviour.

No form of terrorism has any place in Islam and, therefore, those behind the attacks may justify their acts in Islam’s name but it must be clear that they are Muslims only in name, never in deed.

According to the Quran, Muslims should not use their power to further their own selfish interests. Instead, they should seek to ease the suffering of the poor, and to establish peace and security.

{Hussein Hafidh, Mombasa}