Sifuna's promise: Leadership that listens and answers to the people

Sifuna is a man to watch. His clarity, courage and connection with ordinary citizens could make him an important force in the movement for political change.

Edwin Sifuna’s speech offers Kenya something more substantial than another declaration of political ambition. It presents a standard against which leadership should be judged: ideas, programmes, accountability and service. His promise to listen, consult, explain decisions and correct mistakes addresses the central failure of our politics.

Too many leaders seek the people’s votes, then treat the people’s questions as an inconvenience. Sifuna is proposing a different relationship between citizens and those entrusted with public power.