Unless you live under a disproportionately large rock, you cannot have escaped the recent political party nominations that transpired during the tail end of last week and the fallout that is taking place even as I write this.

On paper at any rate it was a simple affair. Party members would get together and out of a list of aspirants interested in contesting a seat on the party’s ticket, they would elect one who would go on to compete from the seat.

But the reality on the ground was another kettle of fish altogether indeed.

For once, out of the choice of laughing or crying, I am very sure of which one I should be doing. Crying.

The whole exercise exposed a number of things

Political Parties: Meaningless Entities

A political party is an absolutely meaningless entity in this country. I laughed myself into a foetal position watching a fellow who had switched parties during the course of Friday night at a press conference with officials of his new party (ODM-K). When given the microphone to express himself, the fellow could not even pronounce the name of the party leader and presidential candidate correctly. The fellow has no idea of the party ideals, visions and manifesto. But then again, neither does the party.

Politicians Never Lose: They Are Rigged Out

It was as if they were reading from the same (poorly written) script. Not one of the vanquished was actually vanquished. As one man they made reference to sham elections and rigging, even in cases where the defeat was by a margin of a couple of dozen thousand votes. Other fellows loudly proclaimed that they had not actually participated in the electoral process, despite there existing footage of them at polling stations voting and awaiting the results before roundly dismissing them as a sham.

Political Parties: Preach Water and Drink Johnny Walker

Any political party worth its salt cannot talk about democracy and then in the next breath introduce undemocratic practices like direct nomination. That is a slap in the face of democracy and the intelligence of the electorate. What criteria are used for the direct nominations, especially when there are aspirants on all the parliamentary seats? I would understand if a concession was made for the presidential candidate and perhaps the running mate.

Arguments are made that some of the members given direct nominations are of strategic importance to the party. This raises a couple of points:

1. If their importance is to the party, why then is the electorate being saddled with someone whose duties are to serve the party
2. Why are these individuals trying to be MPs at all? Let them serve the party fully in some other capacity as full time employees

Dishonesty & Corruption: Abounds In Political Parties

Only two answers can satisfactorily explain how Bill, who defeated Bob by 20,000 votes can find that Bob’s name is the one on the final list. Dishonesty and corruption. How can such people be trusted to manage our affairs?

Violence: A Tool Very Much In Use Today

Footage from ODM House was sobering indeed. Stones were thrown, windows were broken, heads were bloodied, limbs were injured. An aspirant from Dagoretti is nursing his wounds after disaffected party elements caught up with him.

Fees: Whither The Monies

Political parties made a brisk business collecting funds from parliamentary and civic candidates. Some parties charged 100,000/- for parliamentary candidates. Now, let us assume that each of the 210 constituencies drew at least 3 interested individuals. The total monies raised from the candidates is thus approximately 63,000,000. Yes, 63 million shillings. Remember we are yet to include the fees from those aspiring to be councilors. Now, given the fiasco, how much of this money was actually channeled to the nomination process itself?

Food For Thought

If political parties and politicians cannot be honest, transparent and sincere in a simple matter like party nominations, how then can they suddenly change such that in January 1 they will be honest, upright leaders of integrity that respect due process and the rule of law?

In my opinion the events Kenyans witnessed over the last week ought to be enough to convince them that we need an entirely new breed of leadership. Leopards do not change their sports, and even if they do — not in 30 days! You cannot be Jekyll today and Hyde tomorrow.

All 3 of the big political parties have given us a cursory preview of their inner workings. And it stinks. The stink is enough to turn the air around us blue for miles. All I can see is half baked leadership masquerading as real change, continued development and a new paradigm shift.

Soldiers have no say over who gets to be their General. Therefore a mediocre general does not say much about the solider’s. Elected leaders is another cup of tea. Mediocre leaders speaks volumes about the electorate.

Much as I take immense satisfaction in some of the big names being trounced at the nominations, I am wary of the fact that Kenyans are notoriously short of memory and might just gift these rejects 5 additional years of room, board, travel and leisure at our collective expense. Literally.

Don’t vote for parties. Don’t vote for individuals. Don’t know them? Make use of Mzalendo. For those incumbents attempting their luck again, check out their track record and what their constituents think of them. Anyone that has been a lethargic doofus for 5 years is unlikely to change within the month.

For the new comers check out their dreams, aspirations, ideas and what their constituents think of them.

Vote for achievements. Vote for ideas. Vote for potential.

Don’t vote for fairy tales. There’s a world of a difference between potential and fairy tales!

AOB

My sympathies go out to our friends in Kampala. The delegations arriving for the Cerebral Hemorrhoids Order General Meeting, of whatever CHOGM stands for. If its’s anything like the summit for Mayors held in Nairobi (or what was it of again?) Princes Camilla and Charles, and indeed everyone else will be treated to spotless streets (that are actually washed, leave alone swept daily), absence of parking boys, men and women (driven away with the threat of violence), 24 hour electricity (a pleasant surprise to most) and no traffic (ramshackles like Roberta need not apply). Needless to say that state of order and cleanliness lasted about as long as a Brazilian in a British tube station. As soon as the last taxi set off for the airport the City Council came to its senses and questioned the rationale of cleaning streets for black assed residents …

PIC OF THE DAY

Yum yum!

DMX – Catz Don’t Know