Why president should avoid media interviews like a plague

President Uhuru Kenyatta. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

On Monday, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru called senior editors to State House for a presser-cum-interview with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Those present were Ochieng Rapuro, the Standard Editor-in-Chief, Mutuma Mathiu, Editorial Director Nation Media Group, Eric Obino, the Mediamax Editor-in-Chief (Print) and Citizen TV’s Political Editor, Francis Gachuri.

I’m sure Mucheru had an apology from Joe Ageyo, the Editorial Director of Royal Media Services. I guess with Mr Gachuri, State House killed two birds with one stone—given that Gachuri speaks to all Kenyans and the Mountain.

That said, I advice the President to never again call a press conference over subaltern issues.

I must quarrel when a sitting president intends to spend the last few months of his term, convincing citizens that he is right and has had good intentions, all through. If they didn’t get it in 10 years, they won’t understand it in a few months.

President Uhuru Kenyatta. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power teaches those who want to wield power to say less because much explanation might land the king into folly (law number 4).

Doing so also would be yearning for influence when in power. Power is superior to influence. With power, everyone should respond whenever a king coughs. Thus, when Uhuru left his cathedra to seek the Fourth Estate, he politically prostrated. Let me explain.

The President, DP Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga cannot call for public rallies to picket for or against the Government because they wield power in it. That’s why Raila no longer has the influence to do so because, after the Handshake, he became part of the powerful in the Jubilee regime.

This is the tragedy of political stars and starlets in Africa. For example, we were exhilarated when Tanzania President Samia Suluhu took over. Immediately she was sworn in and handed the instruments of power; everything changed.

This week, Hakainde Hichilema, a former Opposition leader, was sworn in as president of Zambia. Perennial opposition leaders like Raila celebrated the win, but Hichilema, left their club immediately after he was handed the instruments of power.

As a result, Zambia will be wailing again in a few years—not because Mr Hichilema was a wrong choice, but because that’s the elusiveness of political power.

President Uhuru Kenyatta. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Robert Greene’s law of power Number 9 advocates for the kings to win through actions and not through arguments. Being in power depletes political reputation—trying to convince the citizens that you are saintly is like convincing a monkey that honey is sweeter than bananas. Monkeys will win over you.

During the coalition government between 2008 and 2012, PM Raila was regularly scheduled to brief Parliament on various government undertakings. That was the time Baba was set up for failure. Probably, the PM’s office thought it wise for Baba to showcase his political prowess to the nation as he awaited to take over as president come 2013. It was a terrible mistake.

Speaker Kenneth Marende overworked whenever the PM was in the House to respond to issues that, in most cases, he did not seem to understand. Still, he wanted to talk about it as he would in a political rally in Kasarani Stadium. But, in most cases, he flopped! He would be taken by the neck by Mike Sonko and other third-tier politicians, not of his age and calibre.

Speaker Marende would now and then suspend politicians who ‘vultured’ on PM’s ‘insufficiencies’ to protect his boss. Why did the PM bargain for such duels when he had power? Why not delegate to someone else the battles and earn the credits?

Back to President Kenyatta, whoever advised him to pursue a media interview should not repeat it. Let the media pursue him—that’s the protocol. A president should not be made to explain himself—he should speak through diktats and orders.

Dr Ndonye is a Political Economist of Communication