Alfie weeps for Machakos, but the tears come and go ‘chap-chap,’ as his development model

I am writing with a heavy heart, following the events of the past week, when the Machakos Governor and my friend, Alfie Mutua, was turned into the weeping boy of Kenyan politics.

For most Kenyans, there are governors, and then there is the governor of Machakos, the indefatigable politician working as though there is no tomorrow, snapping at inept colleagues impatiently, and giving a very good account of himself.

Even before Alfie went into politics, he was always enthusiastic. For instance, when news of Kenyans starving reached his previous Office of the Government Spokesman, he said, in a voice that gets squeaky when irritated, that he wasn’t aware about any starving Kenyan.

But if there was anyone without food, they should contact his office, preferably by SMS, and give their location for food to be dispatched.

The presumption, of course, was that those who had nothing to eat had spared money to feed their cellphones, leave alone owning a phone at all, and that the proverbial, long arm of the Government would reach every hamlet where residents were in the throes of hunger.

Now, see the miracle that’s our politics! Alfie, the man who thought famished folks should only use SMS to reach him, is now easily moved to tears at the very sight of impoverished citizens.

Yes, real tears that coursed down his cheeks, and could have gone even further were it not for the kerchief that came in handy.

Beyond the poverty that irks Alfie so, he said, in a voice laden with emotion, that those fighting his so-called Machakos Maendeleo Chap Chap (Machakos quick-quick development), which he has gone around propagating with much gusto, are actually fighting the poor of Ukambani.

And those are the people whose lives Alfie is determined to transform.

Right from the start, Alfie said he wanted to build a city from scratch, and to demonstrate his commitment, set aside some 5,000 acres of land that he wanted to give away, gratis, to those who could set up new businesses in the county.

I hear the Chinese are on the way, with their ideas, and very deep pockets, although the Chinese currency has lost value of late, maybe only the billionaires in their midst will make it to Machakos.

Similarly, there was a little problem in Machakos last year, when some folks, led by Ken wa Maria, took to the streets to sing a particularly catchy song.

I don’t think the song, Ni Wa Sinema (he’s a man of drama), referred to Alfie in any way, although he is a filmmaker of repute, judging from his dramatic outputs like the Cobra Squad TV series.

At the time of Wa Maria’s Sinema concert, I hear he had fallen out with Alfie, so when the police dispersed his show and dragged him through the court, many thought he must have drawn from Alfie’s artistic inspiration in composing Ni Wa Sinema.

Which was rather prophetic, given the free sinema that Alfie offered this week with his teary display.

Yet, there should be no shame in showing tears in public, for long thought to be the preserve of our Deputy President, Man Ruto; who breaks down when he wants and makes no apology about it.

What Alfie has done is to humanise himself and reaffirm his love for his county and its people. Judging from the depth of his anguish, it is a safe bet that Alfie is an abiding example of what servant leadership is all about.

Incidentally, the man that appears to have contributed to Alfie’s emotional breakdown, and the man who constantly talks about servant-leadership, is his party patron, Kalonzo Musyoka, also known as Wiper.

Given his long stint in politics, Wiper has had little regard for Alfie’s “chap-chap” model of politics, or even his interpretation of what servant leadership is about.

He says Alfie shouldn’t be deluded about securing leadership in Machakos or anywhere else, in a “chap-chap” manner, and that he should learn to wait. But that need not move Alfie to tears, especially in public.