When campus meets the village

The election period is marked by an exodus of comrades to the villages. This presents locals with the task of listening to these know-it-alls. They are so rare in some of hometowns that when they show their faces, it is more of announcement as opposed to an appearance.

They must be felt and their half-informed opinions listened to. No better period provides better fodder for these opinions than the elections.

Take a look around. You will see them just after three o’clock in local eateries where they buy nothing more than single soda. Huddled up, they start discussing politics leaving you wondering when they became political analysts yet the other day you were in a joint harambee for to enable them pursue a degree in education and commerce. No one mentioned Political Science.

It is a beautiful thing though, seeing the youth so actively involved in the election process. That is until you see them being used as mouthpieces for cheap and slightly adjusted manifestos of the same ‘mabadiliko’ rhetoric. It is worse, revolting even, when you see the so-called intellectuals drunk on campaign money. These are the same people that so passionately rant on social media about corruption and poor leadership. Most of these comrades won’t vote. Some will be too tired from campaigning to vote while others will simply be too lazy to vote; their entitled selves unable to withstand long queues and heat. Even worse, some will whine and rant about leader A or B on social media as opposed to making a difference by showing up at the polling station.

Comrades quick to criticise and hard to please unless money is involved, are the underrated stink in our society. These self-baptised leaders of tomorrow are the ‘vuvuzelas’ for the bad leaders being recycled today. And the society lets them. The people cling to every word they speak because they are in the university. They are demigods of some sort and everything they say goes. This is bliss for most of these comrades who thrive on attention.

Damnation aside, listening to these opinion shapers is something everyone should experience. While most have underfed opinions and all they know is Tibim and Tialala, some of them are actually well-informed. It provides one with the rare opportunity to see the workings of all brands of the younger mind.