Political theatre is distracting citizens from serious issues

 President Ruto and Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. [File, Standard]

Kenyan politics has, over time, evolved into an elaborate theatre production, complete with recurring characters, dramatic plot twists, public feuds, and carefully staged confrontations. From high-profile impeachments to sensational Senate showdowns, the political arena is replete with one dramatic show after another, often with little sense to carry it, but entertaining and riveting nonetheless. The result is a citizenry kept in a constant state of distraction, denied the clarity needed to make informed and conscious political decisions.

The impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua marked a significant starting point in this ongoing political drama, and with good reason. It must have felt to those in power as if, out of the blue, the Kenyan populace had decided to take politics seriously. Where, in the past, protests over the cost of living had been undermined by leaders' personal political agendas, 2024 brought with it a new style of protest that was laser-focused on the goal of rejecting the punitive Finance Bill. The people needed drama to distract them, and they needed it right away. And so, Gachagua was summarily dismissed on a whim, right when discussions on the cost of living had hit a fever pitch.

Rather than serving as a sobering institutional process rooted in constitutional accountability, the episode quickly transformed into a public spectacle. Memes from the impeachment trial were generated quickly and continue to make many laugh to date. Perhaps the government realised that it had struck gold, explaining why, since then, the 7 and 9 o’clock news have kept us on the edge of our seats.

Gachagua has indeed become the starring character in this drama. By regularly revealing some inconsequential State secret or another, he sends the public into a frenzy. Most recently, there was the heated exchange of insults between him and the President, which included allegations of murder on both sides. This sent the public scrambling to conduct extensive research on who the young murdered woman was, once again keeping them busy and distracted. These exchanges between the most prominent figures are often framed as moments of political bravado, drawing cheers from supporters and outrage from critics. However, they rarely contribute to meaningful dialogue, instead reinforcing a culture in which politics is consumed as entertainment, with citizens positioned as spectators rather than participants.

Running parallel to this drama this year has been the internal turmoil within the ODM. Once perceived as a formidable and ideologically grounded political force, ODM has in recent times been plagued by factional disputes and leadership wrangles following the death of its party leader. At the height of the theatre, it was threatened that Edwin Sifuna would be removed as Secretary General. This immediately attracted the public’s attention, which has not yielded since. What was a simple letter has spiralled into Sifuna and his allies holding rallies across the country, whose nature cannot really be explained. Sifuna is the hero of this moment, ODM the villain. We sit enthralled and hope that the show will end with our erstwhile hero triumphing against evil.

The dominance of political theatre distracts citizens from engaging with substantive issues. Kenya faces numerous pressing challenges. There is no denying that we are on a downward spiral, with rampant unemployment and an untenable cost of living. For many who have mouths to feed, parents to take care of, and other outstanding bills, there is not much time to focus on the material conditions of one’s existence, as every day brings with it a new hurdle to jump. One benefit of unemployment in the youth, however, is that it leaves room to think and truly analyse one’s living conditions and the source of the malaise.

However, the larger problem, outside of the distraction, is that the focus on a limited set of political characters reinforces a narrow conception of leadership. Figures like Gachagua, Ruto, and other prominent politicians become the central actors in an ongoing narrative. This creates the illusion that leadership is confined to a select few individuals, discouraging the emergence of new voices and alternative visions.

To move beyond this cycle, there must be a deliberate effort to reclaim politics as a space for substantive engagement.

Ms Njahira is an international lawyer