Okay i may have strethced the truth but just indulge me a little....
If Kenya was a girl looking for a boy to get married to i wonder what she would be looking for?The world over marriage is approached with a sober head and with hope that when one finally settles on a partner that they are going to spend most of their adult life with ,then reason and clarity of mind are key towards in making this very important decision.
It is a no -brainer that one needs to have a standard by which they have set the minimum requirements for a partner.One does not just settle for any Tom,Dick and Harry who comes along.But looking at the varied array of individuals who have thrown their hats into the ring that is the presidential race,i am amazed we have given some even the light of day.It is time as Kenyans we came up with standards by which we measure our leaders,only in this way will we ensure that only the most worthy make the cut.So far there are almost 20 people who are garnering for the top seat and if things go as they are going on right now, we will waste precious time in a run -off ,yet we would have weeded out the unworthy candidates and saved a couple of millions.
We do not need a vetting board like the JSC to weed out those who are unsuitable ,a little digging into the colorful or not so colorful pasts of these aspirants is very easy.Every Kenyan household has a radio or TV or they at least get to read the papers.And with our propensity for political intrigues we are not short of stories on what our leaders have been up to.We should not be giving the time of day to people who in the past have been known to preach water and drink wine,peole who have reneged on promises,people with a past to hide or who have had brushes with the law.
In choosing the next Chief Executive of this beautiful country we need to approach this very important decision with the same soberness and reasonableness with which we choose whom we marry.In choosing a partner one does not make a decision over kilos of succulent nyama choma and crates of Kenya's finest barley products.One sits and mulls over the options available and then settles on one.It is said that one should ensure they date a couple of people before they settle on THE ONE.Only in this way will you know what you are looking for,it does no good to settle for the first man or woman who shows an inclination to spend the rest of their lives with you.Neither does it do any good to propose marriage or even accept a proposal when inebriated .
If we look at the way Kenyans make decisions for their President , it is always a case of herd mentality.The one who attracts the largest crowds at rallies and uses the most colorful language gets the votes.It does not matter that this man or woman has no economic agenda or has a closet full of skeletons.All that matters is that he or she is able to draw crowds that are forever singing his praises.And if he throws in the fact that there are people out to finish him then the more sympathy votes he or she gets.
It is also very interesting that though Kenyans do not know it ,their votes have always been used to settle political scores.That is why politicians use the platforms we give them to fix their opponents.Before you know it public opinion is being swayed by allegations and innuendos which have been taken for the gospel truth and we trash a possible presidential candidate.
We never seem to make up our minds independently we always have to listen to what they(politicians) tell us instead of asking ourselves what these people who want to lead us are going to do for us.We forget that first and foremost these people are our servants,they should be begging us for votes,laying out the blue print of taking this country to the middle income economy it should have been two decades back.The next presidential candidate should swear to be a servant of the people and a servant of the constitution the same way Dr Mutunga did when he was being interviewed for the post of Chief Justice.In this day and age does a woman listen to the promises of heaven a man swears he will provide or does character,ideals and moral standing bear much more weight?
The presidential candidates who are getting the most media attention are only talking about how their tribal numbers can be used to their advantage.My question to Kenyans is this?are we living as one country,united under one flag or should we change our name to the united tribes of Kenya?Every tribe is claiming that it is its time to get the presidency and if we go along this lines then we will be in the same predicament we were in 2007.This is similar to the man who walks up to a woman and says he had a vison that they would get married,that God has spoken to him and they are the perfect match.I always run away from such prophets and visionaries.
Dear Kenyans it is time to make sober decisions and get rid of the herd mentality we have had for so long,we need to grasp the future in our hands and make it happen today .It is never going to be vision 2030 unless we make it happen now.You can only dream and see visions for so long,and you are only young for so long.How many generations of Kenyans have to listen to the same old story of my tribe your tribe deserves this more than the other?
As the Chinese say a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step and it is time Kenya got a spouse who will look after her and her children,respect her ,honor her and protect her.
