Senator out of order for storming University of Eldoret

NAIROBI: There are better ways of airing one’s grievances, no matter how much or how long you have been aggrieved. Engaging riot police in street battles is not one of them. Issuing threats and intimidating public officers is also not clever. Provoking the police into confrontations is not prudent, especially as an elected leader. Indeed, it comes off as an insult to the title honourable and the office one is holding. When voters elect someone, it is because they have seen in him or her, an able representative, someone articulate enough to talk on their behalf about matters affecting them. They do not envisage a heckler or a stone-thrower, since order and civility are the buzz words today.

Indeed, charlatans and popularity hungry individuals have never made good leaders. They morph quickly into dictators and violators of the less fortunate members of the society. This is as power gets into their heads and then gradually become insecure in their leadership. They soon forget their core mandate of inspiring their electorate into social and economic development. They, therefore, engage in small-time fights with anyone seen to offer differing suggestions.

Unfortunately, several Kenyan politicians have decided to hit the streets instead of the boardrooms and other venues leaders should embrace to have their voices heard.

Sadly, several youthful politicians have adopted notoriety and publicity stunts as ways of showing their voters that they are working. This is not leadership, especially in today’s world. Ability to negotiate, convince warring parties and respect the rule of law are the qualities today’s leaders must embrace. The stone-age tactics of shouting the loudest, throwing tantrums or even stones have no place today.

Just this week, Uasin Gishu Senator Isaac Melly and Nominated MCA Caroline Chepkosgey took a protest, on a sensitive matter, too far by trying to storm University of Eldoret. Their gripe with the university administration is the age-old tribal arithmetic in job postings.

They claim the university vice-chancellor Teresa Akenga is overseeing tribalism and nepotism while hiring staff. Whether this is true or not, leading residents and students in destructive demonstrations, is not one of the better ways the Senator and the MCA could have taken. The danger here is obvious. Locals could easily turn against other communities in the cosmopolitan county, fuelling more ethnic suspicion and hostility.

Still, why not diplomatically engage the university administration on available jobs? Should that fail, why not take the legal process either in the Senate or Parliament? Why not even interest the National Cohesion and Integration Commission on the alleged bias in hiring staff?

Tribalism and nepotism are huge challenges affecting most public institutions hence, proper channels must be followed to eradicate the vice.

It is also grossly out of order to introduce seemingly ‘cattle dip’ talk or thinking on an issue touching on a university. A university is the highest institution of learning that should ordinarily attract the best brains across the country and even globally. By blindly insisting that all or majority of staff at University of Eldoret should come from Uasin Gishu County, is to miss the point. A world class university should gradually work towards getting connected to the global world in academics. This does not mean that even menial jobs should be given to ‘outsiders’, but the university administration should not be coerced into dishing out all such positions to ‘villagers’. Striking the right balance would be the mark of an excellent university administration.

Finally, dialogue and following due process must be encouraged among Kenyans and the elected leaders must be an example. Impunity and disregard for rules will only fuel anarchy and hinder real growth. Chest-thumping and foul language from leaders should cease, especially now that devolution has brought forth numerous leadership positions. As devolved governance seeks to even out development across the country, so must leaders become more responsible and work hard to encourage respect for dialogue.