Plato was spot on; democracy mostly rewards liars, not the honest

Former CS Justin Muturi, addressing the media at Ufungamano house on 02, April, 2025. Giving a reason why he was sacked, he told the media that because he persistently questioned the abduction, torture and murder of the young people. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Plato once warned that democracy does not select the best leaders; it selects the best persuaders. Not the wisest, but the most convincing. Not the most principled, but the most theatrical. His concern was not merely philosophical. It was political realism.

He understood that when power is determined by popularity rather than competence, persuasion outruns truth, performance overtakes substance, and manipulation outpaces wisdom. The tragedy of democracy, in his view, is not that it fails suddenly, but that it slowly hollows itself out from within.