Governor aspirants pick of lectures as deputies telling

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has unveiled a university lecturer, William Kingi, as his running mate for the August elections.

Like their coastal colleague, Governor Kinuthia Mbugua and his opponent for the Nakuru race, Lee Kinyanjui, also named university lecturers Peter Ketyanya and Erick Korir respectively as their deputies. In Nandi, Stephen Sang named Moi University don Yulita Mitei as his running mate.

Further north, in Wajir, Governor Ahmed Abdullahi named Mwalimu Ahmed Abdikhadir has his running mate. Just why is there an appetite for lecturers as potential deputies? Judging by the number of governors who fell out with their deputies during the current term, it is understandable that gubernatorial aspirants are running away from politically agile deputies.

From Mombasa, to Murang’a, Machakos, to Kisii and Kisumu to mention but a few, many of the current deputy governors were accused of insubordination and working in cahoots with MCAs to frustrate their bosses. This culminated in frosty relationships where many deputy governors had their offices locked and their cars withdrawn.

But do lecturers offer the certainty of loyalty that governors want? Can their choice as potential deputies be judged as unity of value or is it just an arrangement of political expediency?

And here, if we make references, explicit or not, to the methods of mathematics and physics, on how elements combined with one another to form a larger whole, the rush for lecturers as deputies raises even more fundamental questions. In physical terms, it is meant to be complementary and beneficial to the ticket.

However, Gabriel Marcel, in Man Against Mass Society argues that thinking of man’s unity to the level of addition of units to one another or of objectively conceived synthesis of elements, bring the ideas of unity to the realm of consciousness. Both individuals change in a pathological way. So why the allure of lecturers?

The choice of a political deputy is not a marriage where the dignity and reality of each person is properly recognised. Real affection and friendship has not been established and hence cannot result in value. This choice of running mates, is a unity of exploitation and lecturers and teachers are perhaps the most tolerant. Governors have shown that they are averse to criticism.

The deputy governors in the next election period will be glorified secretaries and speech writers at best. On a good working day, they will provide coherent and credible public relations for the governor. And who can do that better than a teacher?