Kenya needs a new manifesto, not just a new government

Kenyans look to their leaders for a development agenda that delivers dignity, equity and opportunity. [File, Standard]

The 2027 countdown continues and we are now 40 weeks to voting day. From the political mischief common to our pre-election fashion, the “whom” (the persons) on the Presidential ballot will somehow emerge. Behind the scenes, the “whom” is quietly emerging for the five other electoral posts we vote on – Governors, MPs (Senators, National Assembly and Women Reps) and County Assembly Members.

Naturally, it’s the high-stakes Presidential contest that commands the most visible attention right now, especially across our mainstream media.  Yet, in practice, it is easy to suspect we might have a clear rural-urban divide in voter behaviour between “bottom-up” (from MCA/MP upwards) and “top-down” (from President/Governor downwards) respectively – a 70:30 mix in our electoral demography.  Let’s leave that thought for the scholarly research that tells us voters are not rational, when in fact they have a rationale.