A reality that Dutch humanist and philosopher Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus wrote about in 1509 mirrors our political situation today. In his play, ‘The Praise of Folly’, he wrote, “The less talent they have, the more pride, vanity, and arrogance they have. All these fools, however, find other fools who applaud them.”

This is a true reflection of our theatre of the absurd as vain and vociferous Kenya Kwanza legislators traverse the country insulting Kenyans, publicly wishing they could kill anti-government critics, and getting applauded. They have also reminded us of Joseph Stalin’s caution that “those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.”

Something about our brand of politics that draws succour from sycophancy sucks. The drivers of our non-ideological politics are greed and self-aggrandisement, virtues that define individuals who, by word and deed, have left no doubt that they are mere political marionettes incapable of independent or rational thought. The delusion citizens have about politicians championing their interests continues to hold them captive to political leeches that suck the blood out of their emaciated bodies.