Bloggers have become guns for hire

 Political bloggers’ content cannot be trusted, they are not guided by any professional code of conduct and can be intrusive

With roughly five months to the General Election, politicians are not leaving anything to chance.

One tactic being employed by politicians, especially in Nyanza, is the use of bloggers as influencers to package the wanasiasa as sellable candidates to social media audiences.

Often, the so-called bloggers, most of whom are self-acclaimed, are young graduates. The bloggers are tasked with periodically coming up with content to promote the candidates' 'manifesto.'

To entice politicians, the bloggers start as independent minds and gather a following depending on how well they package themselves and the aptness of their writing skills. As their influence grows, they get approached by politicians who pay for their services.

Initially, political blogging was a preserve of a few notable names. But the bug has spread so fast and taken root in the counties.

Political bloggers have a bad reputation in Kenya, even though they still get a lot of hits.  But most of these bloggers are suspect and their content cannot be trusted. They are not guided by any professional code of conduct, can be intrusive and often target prominent personalities.

As political temperatures rise ahead of the August elections, the Kenyan blogosphere has been turned into a field of mediocrity, where idle, jobless and gullible youth, most of whom cannot spell their names backwards, are being used in online warfare by politicians in exchange for meagre handouts.

This has created a volatile situation that sometimes leads to violent eruptions, with the youth physically attacking each other, leading to injuries and even deaths.

The social media hounds wake up as early as 5am and spend the entire day churning useless content, characterised by tirades of personal attacks in poorly written English. Their agenda, it seems, is to spew obscenities and assassinate the characters of their victims with baseless allegations.

Kenya would be a better place if the youth - who comprise more than 70 per cent of the population - instead turned up in large numbers to exercise their democratic right by voting in leaders who can change their lives.

Despite the onset of devolution, the youth still move to big cities and towns in search of jobs, yet the local leadership have resources to gainfully engage this energetic workforce.

Take the case of Homa Bay and Kisumu counties for instance, where the lake is choking in water hyacinth and condemning many youth who depend on fishing to joblessness.

The potential in these countries has not even been scratched, and many investors still keep off fearing that their businesses might be vandalised by idle youth.

In Migori, the tobacco industry is as good as dead. Small-scale miners have not been empowered with better equipment, while fishermen are begging for alternative fishing methods like fish-cage farming.

The Sori and Muhuru bays can be turned into man-made beaches to attract tourists en-route to Trans Mara or the Serengeti in neighbouring Tanzania.

Yet, Migori is one of the most volatile areas during the political season, and guess who are used to cause chaos? The youth have been turned into an arsenal to settle political scores and are being hired to disrupt rallies. These young deserve better than being confined in dingy rooms with poor Wi-Fi.

Dear youth, we have the numbers to change the future of this country. Let us say no to being used like toilet paper. Don't be warmongers doing the bidding of selfish politicians. The future of this country is in our hands. Go and vote!