We’ll only elect the right people if our destiny is clearly defined

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga makes his speech in presence of President Uhuru Kenyatta during the official launch of the BBI Initiative Taskforce Report at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on October 26, 2020. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Why do “nice guys” fail to capture seats in Kenya elections? Put differently, why do “bad guys” get elected by an electorate that yearns for change? Isn’t it a contradiction that we want a country that is unified and prosperous yet our “nice guys” never get elected?

As Lewis Caroll says, if you don’t know where you are going any road gets you there. Arguably, as a country we really do not know where we are going. In 2002 we exactly knew where we were going. For this reason, Kanu was swept out of power. In 2007, Kenyans knew exactly where they were going had the electoral body stuck to a legitimate process through which the sovereign will of the people would have prevailed.