Quality of leadership falling in Kenya

A culture of mediocrity in leadership is gradually sinking into the Kenyan political space. As citizens, we cannot allow it to continue unabated. We should not settle for counterfeit leadership.

Leadership is manifest in the ability to inspire confidence. When political leaders take to the podium at a forum where Kenyans have gathered, they better deliver inspiration; at the very least, sense. By this measure unfortunately, the standard of political leadership that is currently unravelling in Kenya is proving unable to deliver any of these things.

A Kenyan looking for temporary alleviation from their misery through humour, trash-talking, name-calling or ethnic bashing, should get that elsewhere, not from men or women who promise to deliver a better Kenya for them. How can self-respecting leaders present themselves as ones who will provide visionary strategic direction, when they are shortsighted and reckless even in their utterances?

No leader should incite a community to pick up arms against the opposing party and to go against the rule of law. No leader should ask a poor Kenyan to dig deeper into his empty pockets, and contribute money to solve a problem that elected leaders should solve in the first place. To do so, while proffering no real solutions, is poor political leadership. In fact, it is akin to the monkey in an old fable, who in a bid to replace the King of the jungle, danced for the animals in the kingdom.

At a meeting of animals that had gathered to elect a new ruler, the monkey was asked to dance. He did so very well; with a thousand funny capers and grimaces that the animals were carried entirely off their feet. Dazzled by his theatrics, they elected him their king. However, the fox did not vote for the monkey and was disgusted with the animals for electing such an unworthy ruler.

One day the fox found a trap with meat in it. Hurrying to ‘King’ Monkey, he told him he had found a rich treasure, which he had not touched because it belonged, by right, to His Majesty the King. The greedy monkey followed the fox to the trap. As soon as he saw the meat, he grasped, only to find himself ensnared. The Fox stood and laughed. “You pretend to be our king,” he said, “and you do not bear the character of a leader.” Shortly after that, another election among the animals was held. As the story goes, the monkey’s antics got him to the top, but they did not keep him there. Moreover, you can fool people some of the time; not all of the time.

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The point of this story is that a true leader is proven by his or her own qualities, not by constantly attempting to undermine the qualities of others. Take a recent case in point; the CORD rally held on September 23, 2015 at Uhuru Park to campaign and make a case for striking teachers.

While the intentions may have been noble, the execution was a resounding embarrassment. Unnecessary venomous, reckless and sexist statements were made against the CS for Devolution and Planning. The circus ended with a solicitation for funds from the crowd of economically challenged Kenyans; hungry for morsels of relief from their leaders. Is this a sustainable solution?

In fact it was not a solution at all. Did CORD put any thought into these statements or were they pulled out of thin air like an improvising comedian?

At the minimum, putting some thought and consideration before making public political utterances is a courtesy that should be accorded to Kenyans who have left their homes, their labour and given of their time to gather and listen to their leaders. And to the millions who will receive the message beamed live to their screens and worse, into the unforgiving, un-erasable internet. It is mortifying and excruciating to watch.

It is worrying to imagine that this is the cadre of leadership that has befallen Kenya. It is especially disheartening to hear this from people who are supposed to provide an alternative and recourse from the State. Who are citizens supposed to turn to? On a personal level, one feels that the leaders are treating the honor of having our ear with disdain. One feels, after realising that neither solutions nor inspiration has been offered that they are being taken for a ride.

There is an audacity amongst politicians that gets emboldened every day. Every time the Kenyan audience allows them an inch of liberty, they take a mile. The mediocrity in pronouncements is sinking Kenya’s quality of political leadership into a deeper and deeper abyss.

It is breeding a culture of invoking the entire community to defend one’s own irresponsible transgressions. It is breeding a culture of lies, incitement and manipulation. Kenyans have had an earful and enough is enough. It is about time politicians think long and hard before making public utterances.