There's an unstoppable political paradigm shift taking shape

Amidst the confusion about the implication of the UDA—ODM union of sorts on the quality of government service delivery, there is evidence of something good happening in the country: The desire for authentic leadership.

The sharp reactions, mostly against the handshake, show that a maturing political paradigm shift is slowly but surely taking shape.

The courage to express dissent shows that there is a different world in the people’s minds; a different Kenya they have imagined is possible. That is where they want to be, and the leaders have to be where they are. Let’s dive straight into the matter.

Kenyans are yearning for a political culture of authenticity. They are looking for leaders who are not hiding under shadows. They do not want silhouettes for leaders. They want a leader whose character, vision, and actions are predictable. The time of being one thing during elections and another post-elections is fast fading away. How is this?

First, the youthful Kenyan population has grown up in a culture of rights. In the past, it took some individual's guts and personal conviction to fight for the rights of others. Many people lost their lives in the liberation process before, during and after independence.

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Since the introduction of children's rights in schools and human rights studies in institutions of higher learning, the millennials and Gen Z are much more prepared to fight for their rights, obligations and responsibilities than the older generation wants to appreciate. The younger generation gets baffled by how adults in power can deny people their rights. They will not take anything less of their rights.

A lot of drama and manipulation to silence, divert or kill the spirit of enjoying the privileges of rights will not work with the young generation. The culture of rights is in their DNA. All they need is mentorship so that they do not exaggerate the demand for their rights. Also, even with rights, they need to tap into the wisdom of the older generation. No academic papers can provide lived wisdom.

Second, unlike in the past, Kenya today, and indeed the rest of the world, is data-driven in decision-making. It is increasingly difficult for leaders to generate programmes, policies, and laws that are not backed up by justifiable evidence.

Part of why the Housing Levy and the SHA/SHIF projects are not finding positive reception among Kenyans is that the government data evidence for these projects is thin compared to the data against them. Kenyans have access to a lot of information to compare strategies and options and draw sound judgment. Without the highest level of authenticity, citizens are now much more equipped to resist poorly thought-out interventions and services.

Third, following the above arguments, a leadership can unlikely gain legitimacy by the ballot alone. Citizen expectations of government performance are now very high. As the economy bites, people reflect deeper and ask themselves hard questions about their struggles. They see that their government could do better. They see public fund wastage, national leaders whose performance and productivity are poor, a blurred line between national and county governments and attacks on critical voices.

The youthful generation can see through political drama and theatrics that something is amiss. A lot of political spinning, such as the unfortunate abductions, has only dented the government more especially abroad. 

It does not harm if the government focuses on its line of duty such as protecting citizens, providing space for freedom of speech and association, delivering on a few but well-reasoned services and taming the unbridled greed. Citizens have no problem understanding shortcomings of a regime.

Of course, there are many more reasons and examples to demonstrate that there is a political paradigm shift in Kenya. It is the interest of those in power to climb down from their ivory towers and listen to the people. A grave mistake the Kenya Kwanza government is unapologetically making is spinning to cover failures and living in denial that Kenyans have embraced the philosophy of authenticity. Masking oneself won’t wash.

Dr Mokua is the executive director of Loyola Centre for Media and Communication