I was sitting at home bored then I heard this loud campaign convoy pass by. Curiosity got the better of me and I dragged myself to the window and peeked. The convoy parked outside the gate for about 20 minutes and called out to people, telling them to choose a certain person for MP in my constituency. What got my attention was not the candidate, or the amazing dancers, it was the words being used. In the 20 minutes they stood out there, not once did they tell people what they would do to help them. Their agenda was to belittle their opponents, point out how tribal the current MP is and point out how little has been for them in the last couple of years. Funny part is, the crowd loved it. They cheered them on like they were being promised gold.
This got me thinking about how we as Kenyans are not ready for issue based politics. We are so used to the tribal and smear based campaigns that should anyone attempt to get serious with us, he immediately loses votes.
I am no expert at politics but I do pay attention once in a while. When I do I find it interesting that the most popular politicians are the ones best at saying nothing. The ones who promise us a better future and really address issues affecting us are termed boring. They are a hit one day but the next no one wants to hear their name.
As we approach the elections I can’t help but wonder, will there come a time when campaigns in Kenya will be based on real issues affecting its citizens? Personally, I can’t wait to see if it will happen or not.