Only insecure, ineffective leaders need sycophants

A key dilemma facing most insecure leaders is how to get accurate information and effectively implement their agenda. Because of their fear of independently popular politicians, such leaders often surround themselves with “Yes Men” and “test tube” politicians who only tell them what they want to hear. They also tend to hire staff based not on competence but loyalty. For this reason, insecure leaders are always doomed to failure on account of their lack of access to accurate information, isolation from the grassroots, and inability to implement their agenda due to competence gaps among their staff. Strong leaders, on the other hand, tend to surround themselves with the most competent advisers and staff who never shy away from telling the boss the truth.

Looking at Kenya’s political history, there are examples of both kinds of leaders. President Kenyatta was a strong leader and, therefore, did not bother to surround himself with ‘Yes Men’. He had the Kiambu “family” around him, but he also kept people like Mboya, Njonjo, Moi and Kibaki close. Furthermore, Kenyatta largely left his ministers to their own devices, and only once did he ever fire a Cabinet minister. Following Kenyatta’s death, Moi came to power under precarious circumstances only having barely survived the GEMA-inspired Change the Constitution Movement in the mid-1970s. The coup attempt in 1982 only added fuel to the flames of Moi’s insecurity. As such, his 24-year rein offered countless examples of sycophants. Chotara, Lotodo, Barng’etuny, Oyugi, Kamotho, and Nassir, were shameless members of Moi’s brigade of know-nothing griots. Moi also created some tube politicians, some of whom hold key posts in Jubilee and CORD.