Dear mr. Politician...

Usikubali kucheswa tena?

Kenya is bigger than poll winners and losers. Nothing should be hoisted above the greater interests of the country. Unless the end of the world was scheduled to take place on or before August 8^th 2017, nothing else should be allowed to lead to the uprooting of Kenya from Space.

Neither the protestations of losers nor the merry-making by winners of elections should be allowed to stop Kenya’s clock for a second. And any display of unfounded protesting or revelry by political camps must be stopped from returning Kenya to the brink of an apocalypse post August 8th.

The dreary but man-made dooms-day cult atmosphere being forced onto our political scene by politicians seems to suggest that Kenya will explode into a huge ball of fire if one camp wins and the others lose. The folly of this mindset is that in any contest there must be winners and losers anyway. Commonsense should dictate that winning and losing are two sides of the same coin.

The reason the end of political contests turns ugly is all about lies peddled about imagined gains lined up for grabs for the supporters of a party or a politician.

Yet, often times, when wananchi join political contests, they hardly acknowledge that besides having the power to hire and fire politicians, they are mostly reduced to bystanders in duels that hand them very little in return. The same gullible wanjikus get duped into lighting bonfires and erecting roadblocks all over.

The 2007/8 post-election mayhem should have taught us that it is dangerous to elevate partisan political interests – whether expressed by individual politicians or political parties – above the more supreme interests of the nation.

Whoever could be leading Kenyans down the same cursed path the last election culminated in is not worth the political position he or she is seeking.

But why, pray, do we so easily agree to be blindfolded by political competitors? There must be numerous reasons for this but five, for me, seem real in our situation.

One: We seem to literally believe that an election is a matter of life and death. While the taunting of winners in a political contest can irritate losers, it is immaturity or greed or lies that can make losing fatal. Put otherwise, it is outright silly to make big business out of losing or winning an election.

Two, we don’t realize that ours is predatory politics. So just like in the jungle where the highlight of the hyena’s triumph is in snatching of a piece of bone from a lion, so is our political culture.

And assuming the rest of the country is the gazelle that the lion is making dinner out of, there is really nothing at all for the gazelle whose time has not yet come to celebrate on account of the presumed victory of a scavenger.

Sweet nothings promised

Forgetting that our politics is primarily driven by self-interest is essentially forgetting that wananchi should never peg their hopes for the future on the sweet nothings promised from campaign platforms.

Instead, wananchi should be more concerned with what, for instance, Vision 2030 or the Constituency Integrated Plan for Development (CIPD) or the new Constitution and not on politicians’ theatrics or empty promises can do for them.

Three, none of us is immortal and one day the country we are so ready to burn will belong to our scions. Therefore, should Kenya survive till, say, 2082, it will still have politicians.

And guess what? None of them is born yet but whoever they will be, they will need the space we call Kenya to practice their trade. So behaving as if Kenya should evaporate as camp “A” lost to camp “B” on August 8^th 2017 is willful idiocy.

Four, we believe the lie that there is something real for many of us in the so-called “being in government”. This is a sick fallacy. The truth is that only a handful of political supporters end up seeing the real inside of the government. A few wheeler-dealers may take occasional peeps through the perimeter fence but that is the closest they can get.

Five, we wrongly tend to believe that our messes of today will be cleaned by the generations to follow.

There are no guarantees that after a five-year cycle culture of razing down buildings, uprooting railway-lines, maiming and even killing our competitors, we can simply say abracadabra and voila!… Every mess is fixed pronto.

Nothing should be hoisted above the greater interests of Kenya. Not even political duels, whoever the kingpins are.

Why I will vie for MCA post in my ward!

When you vote based on popularity, the county assembly is technically empty for lack of expertise!
(Picture courtesy of Baringo County Assembly)

It’s interesting to see the Devolved government units take shape. Of interest is that the 47 units of government not only have an executive to implement the local policies but also have a locally elected county assembly. The County Assemblies are the key institutions in the county that will represent, legislate and offer oversight in the running of the county.

The Members of the County Assembly (MCA) are elected from each ward and a few more nominated to ensure that there is equitable representation of all people. This includes women, youth, persons with disability and marginalized communities in the county. The MCA’s thus have first and foremost responsibility to ensure that the voice and preference of their subjects, so to speak, is present at the table of decisions.

They secondly have a law and policy making responsibility. The laws and policies that they make is what makes the work of the county government possible. It provides the desired end while making provisions of how to get there.

 Thirdly they have an oversight role in which they hold the power to approve, check and follow on every matter being conducted in the county. Theirs is to check the powers of the executive at the county level(Governor)!

This therefore means that MCA’s have a greater mandate than was wielded by their predecessors, the councilors, who operated in the local authorities. They have to take this mandate with the weight it deserves.

But standing in their way is their capacity to handle this mandate.

How well do they understand their legislative and oversight role? What qualifications do they bring to the table of decisions especially where complex matters of development are concerned? There is also the concern of their remuneration against the work we expect them to play. 

From my recent interactions with MCAs and those around them, it has emerged that they had very different expectations in as far as their roles are concerned. Of concern is that some have not internalized the principle of separation of powers as entrenched in the constitution. That they will not be able to engage in direct service delivery is already a matter worrying to many.

One would understand their dilemma. In a country with nascent political party ideologies and thus no binding party policies expressed in manifestos, every person seeking election goes out promising different things. Some of the promises though exciting to the masses are untenable.

So once one is elected, they realize that they have to honor their promises but cannot do so directly. There are collective plans and budgets to be made and this means trade-offs so as to work within the resource purse available. Their wit in making the budget thus will be of essence to ensure that they can accommodate other proposals while ensuring that theirs are equally addressed.

But how equipped are the MCAs to carry out this mandates.

Do they have the expertise or at least access to expertise to ensure their effectiveness?

 How well are the County Assembly Service Boards resourced to ensure that the MCAs have offices to operate from? In moving forward it emerges that there is a lot that needs to be done.

 In the short term there has been need for continuous capacity building especially after the formation of committees. Some of those committees have had to be merged in some counties given the number of MCAs.

The office of the speakers also need sufficient support to ensure it has the technical support necessary for effective performance. In the long term, there may be need to review the educational and professional qualifications for election of MCAs as well as the remuneration of this position so as to attract high caliber professionals. 

Kenya shall be changed by ordinary people like you and I who are willing to venture into the uncommon, do things differently and inspire others in the process. Let’s join hands in this exciting journey in service to God and Country.

Am diving in for the position of MCA; I will offer my professional expertise in Administration, Finance, Audit and strategic planning. I will spearhead capacity building within the county assemblies and roll-out a peer-mentorship programme for MCAs across the nation. There won’t be need for MCAs to travel abroad for bench-marking tours! Oh! Hail the new approach. This is a game changer!

Does your MP know this?

Kennedy Opio consulting with the Deputy President at a past event!

It is now an open secret that one of my friends and very knowledgeable youth, Mr. KENNEDY OPIO, has been approached by several people to run in Likuyani Constituency as Member of Parliament in 2017. I took particular interest in his quest for various reasons;

First, he is a great guy as a professional. I just didn't know how he was planning to articulate this with the murky politics that is characteristic of Kenya.Crossed fingers!

Secondly, being an MP in Likuyani meant he was to directly represent my people... including myself and my baby mama along with my kids, parents and all people around me! That's quite a responsibility.

Thirdly, with the devolved government structures, I got curious to know if this ninja understood what would be expected of him! What his roles were! Would he look out of place in the role or can my people count on him? 

You see, politics is not about growing a pot belly and driving gas guzzlers! Its not about your access to public coffers for personal benefits! Its more of a calling. Sio hii pere pere ya ooh nitawaletea barabara, ooh CDF mara ooh bursary! And in particular I was looking out for those old lines!
I must say how he discussed the roles of an MP and specifically how he intended to pursue this left me satisfied. In his own words;
 "...I have become conscious of the roles and responsibilities of a Member of Parliament (MP). An MP has three main responsibilities.

First, and the most critically important function of a Member of Parliament, is REPRESENTATION. This responsibility is derived from the first chapter of Kenya’s constitution, which gives the sovereign power of the Kenyan State to the Kenyan people. The second clause explains how the people can exercise this power; either directly or indirectly!
 Directly means all 40 million plus Kenyans meet and agree whenever we need to make policy or pass laws. Indirectly means we elect a small group to represent the rest of us, and bequeath on them the responsibility of making decisions for the rest of us. Indirectly is the practical way to do things, which is why we elect the President, MPs, Senators, Governors, women reps and MCAs.

An MP is therefore in office primarily to represent the constituency from which he or she was elected. I must emphasize something here; the MP represents the constituency that elected him or her, in its entirety; NOT the individual voters from that constituency who voted for him; Just the same way a President once elected is President of all Kenyans not just the people who elected him.

This is an important clarification because there are some MPs who go to the National Assembly to represent the voters who elected them, and deliberately isolate voters who supported their rivals and justify it on the basis that they did not vote for them. It is also important because representation means an MP is required to seek their constituency’s views on an issue before taking a public position on it.

Secondly; an MP is required to LEGISLATE; make laws. ‘Parliament’ actually means a representative body having supreme legislative powers within a State. This means parliamentarians are representatives of the people meeting to debate and pass laws for the people. In fact the reason MPs have immunity to say anything about anyone while in the precincts of Parliament is so that they are not limited on what they can discuss or pass laws on. We look up to MPs to make laws that represent the values of the Kenyan people.

Finally, an MP is responsible for OVERSIGHT OF GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS. As per the constitution MPs as representatives of the people are mandated to question anyone delivering services to Kenyans. They have a responsibility of ensuring that the President; His Executive; the Government Officials and Public Servants, Security Agencies, etc are working only as per how the people want them to work; and to ensure whatever policies and administration decisions are made serve the people’s interests, above all else.
They therefore have the power to summon literally anyone and stop anything that goes against the people’s wishes.

These are the ONLY three responsibilities given to our MPs by the constitution. Other public responsibilities are given to people holding different offices. The development mandate MPs are laying claim on is a function of County Governments.

Most of the current 290 MPs understand this. I am convinced they know CDF is now irrelevant under the new constitution, after devolution kicked in. However they want to continue having a public fund they can do local politics with.
They also want to continue cheating local voters that their (re)election should be based on how many roads they have built; how much bursary they have given out; how many buildings they have put up, etc. Well, now we all know what is NOT their job!

Their job and what we must judge them on in 2017 is:
 (i) How effectively his or her constituency’s views affected national issues and decisions;
 (ii) How closely national laws passed in parliament aligned to the values and principles of the constituency they represented; and
 (iii) How effectively they audited and oversaw government operations especially as regards how they affected their constituency. Period!

Meanwhile if I was an MP today I would start thinking about how to introduce and institutionalize a fund that is in line with my mandate; maybe one that supports MPs to hold regular constituency-wide barazas to collect views on national issues before I take a position on it in Parliament. It would make more sense.

But I am not an MP … yet.

So all I will do is demand that Kenyans recall any MP who seeks to return CDF to Parliament, so that the constituency they represent can elect an MP who actually understands what their responsibility and mandate as an MP is."

As this guy picked up his mug of coffee to take a sip, I breathed with relief and hope! A hope for my generation and the next generation! Its time to elect leaders who are focused and committed. Leaders who have the best interest of their people at heart! It doesn't matter what party Ken will use to seduce his way to the August House, he has my vote, my bae's vote, my mama's and our shamba boy's vote. Am determined to help harvest votes from all quarters for him! You go muheshimiwa. Umeiva!

Kenya is a difficult democracy!

Tricky situations!

By any standards, Kenya is considered an emerging democracy. Emerging because we have not perfected the art yet. That is why we are still discussing procedures for voting. Like; whether we should have manual or electronic registration or transmit ballot papers physically or send the results electronically using mobile phone technology. 

Every voter in Kenya knows that our election system is guided by the universal principle of one man, one vote. Our fear is not that people are not going to vote. Voting will take place regardless of whether the turnout is high or not. After all, voting in Kenya is not compulsory, so I don’t know why politicians are busy enticing people to register. The civic education on voter education should be left to the IEBC and maybe the civic organisations. Telling people to register and vote is not enough unless they are also educated on why they should vote. 

The average Kenyan has no clue what the strategic issues are. The only motivation that drives the majority of the voters is ethnicity; the principle of us-against-them that guides voters in Kenya.

 But globally also, the ideals and the fundamentals of democracy seem to be losing meaning. What happened in America in November last year during the elections that saw Donald J. Trump get elected illustrates that people no longer care about rational issues.
The White American voters were subjected to large doses of fear of losing their privilege that saw them elect a man who in previous elections would never have come close to the gates of the White House.

Democracy is a strange phenomenon. It allows politicians to manipulate the voters for their selfish gains.
We now need to revisit the purpose of democracy if Kenya is to stay afloat. As it is, under the current system of fear, politics of ethnicity and voter buying will lead us nowhere. If voters don’t have the motivation to vote except to bring one of their own to power, then the purpose of democracy is lost.

voting in an election is a skill, not a random intuition. And like any skill, it needs to be taught systematically to people. Letting the citizenry vote without an education is as irresponsible as putting a drunk driver behind the wheels of a car and expecting him to arrive home safely.

However hard we try and make noise about poor governance structures in Kenya, nothing much will change. If the voters don’t understand the issues, then democracy by itself will have no meaning and voting every five years becomes merely a ritual.

Avoid politics at the work place

Politics is addictive. Its very engaging and one can get carried away easily.
We talk horse and dry our throats in support of whomever we choose to support but the politics and the environment around us has been poisoned and you don’t want to be judged or associated to any negativity.

Politics is a polarising aspect and no manager would want to see a polarised staff.

The topic should be treaded carefully at the work place!

But beyond trading carefully, staff must have limits and should not portray the organisation as supporting a certain side, that’s if the company as an institution does not identify with any side of the political divide.

Staff must understand the strategic interests of management. In an environment like ours where politics has been so corrupted, it would be wrong to seem as if you (company) identify with a certain side.

In government agencies, ‘political talk’ is a sensitive subject and speaking for or against a certain political party is usually construed into belonging to ‘them or us’, which might have severe repercussions.

Therefore, you need to understand the interests of top management and of the company before promoting politics at work because it’s natural that politics can create dangerous edges that might work against certain interests and long term strategies.

Staff should also desist from obsessing themselves with politics because it can be a time waster, thereby impacting on deadlines and workflow.
Thus, just in case you cannot avoid it, take caution on some of the factors below:
Know the right time to hold discussions; either at lunch time, break time and or after work rather than discussing it at unscheduled hours.

Avoid being misunderstood and changing goal posts. It can reflect badly on you.

Know the people who you need to discuss with. Not everyone enjoys the politics therefore study the environment and understand everyone’s interests to know best what you discuss with them.

If you work in a government office you need to be extra careful because what you discuss might be taken differently which might have severe impact on your performance.

At all times, know when to say what, when and how to say it.

Avoid discussing politics with your bosses unless you have specific interests and a relationship that goes beyond work.

If your professions requires you to be neutral while executing your duties try just as hard as you can to stick by that, especially in public.

Otherwise you might be held by what you do or say.
People in professions such as journalism are judged on things like credibility. Therefore, however much you might want to, stick to providing credible information, free of your opinion and interests.

Therefore, all in all, whereas political discussions are not criminal at work places it should be guided by company strategies and aspirations as well as individual judgment.

Let's not Glorify the Fraud Culture!

I have been watching some interesting TV shows recently!The common theme of these shows evolved around fraudsters and con men who are portrayed as being smart and charismatic with exceptional talent to solve problems that can't be solved by hard working honest professionals!

They are presented to be the solution rather than the problem and the sad reality is that it is easy  for most of us to admire such characters and fall in love with them!

The Dangerous Message!

While the purpose of the shows is to provide entertainment, they are also sending an unintentional   dangerous message to the youth that being a fraudster is actually a "cool thing"!It is not a secret that at this era of rapid technological advancement the difference between realty and virtuality may not be so obvious to some!

It All Starts at Home!

Fraud will always be out there.We can not completely eliminate it, but we can fight it before it becomes a monster. We can only do this by starting  at the source, our kids!
Getting the necessary immunity against  and preventing fraud starts at home at an early age.Parents need to keep  a close eye on what their children read and watch and who their role model is.

A few days ago, my teenage brother expressed his desire  to become a broker after watching the Wolf of Wall Street movie! It took several rounds of discussions to explain to him the difference between a good  ethical broker and a bad one.

Let's not glorify the fraud culture and start to build an anti fraud one starting from our homes!

These are my thoughts, please share yours

Why you should not make new year's resolutions

I was the biggest New Year Planner. Always planning to eat better, work harder, exercise more. For some reason, I never fall through. The truth is that you don’t need New Year, a new month and not even a new week to make a decision and work towards it from day one.

How many times have you made your New Year’s resolution, pumped up at the beginning of January but as you were approaching another month, those big dreams and goals seem to disappear? Why so many people but their biggest hopes for the next year when they can start and thrive right away?

Since most of the world put so much importance on the New Year’s resolutions it isn’t funny; I have for you 3 reasons why you should forget about those plans for a  next year and start hustling now.

1. Time is the only limit

Your potential, resources or possibilities have no limits. The only limit we all have is time and once wasted, we can never take it back. Why would you throw away the entire December when you can already start taking action and move forward? Procrastination killed many dreams because people were always waiting for the right time, right person or opportunity. There is never “right” time, person, etc. The time is now, and that is the only thing you need to remember.

2. You will get overwhelmed

How do you think your mind is going to react when you let it totally rest for some time and then you put enormous pressure on it with every little thing you want to change or improve? More than likely, you will get totally overwhelmed, frustrated and quit before you even started since the number of tasks to handle will seem impossible.

3. If you are waiting too long, you may miss your chance

I am not trying to scare you or destroy your hopes, but sometimes, if we wait too long, we’ll wait forever. Chances are all around you; they aren’t some special events which show up when the midnight hit 2017 and ball of "good luck" dropped at your doorstep.

Instead of focusing on the awesome year 2017 we all believe is going to better than this one, start planning and taking simple steps now. Enter the New Year with motivation, already in progress and a clear vision of how this year going to unfold for you.

Conclusion

The reality about New Year resolutions is that people don’t want to change and that’s why they tied their goals to some future event. Before you hate me for what I just said because you already have a full list of your New Year’s resolutions since January 2016, let’s think about it.  If you want to make a decision and change your life, you just do it. It is simple. You don’t need to wait for some special occasion because you are confident about yourself and what you want. This state of mind will only excite you, and you start acting right away. If you are unconsciously refusing to change, there are one and million reasons to procrastinate and the New Year seems for many people as a great opportunity.

I am not here to judge you since I have made this mistake a thousand times. I am here to tell you that New Year’s resolutions suck and why you should quit with making any. Time is priceless, stop wasting it and start hustle. There is too much of a value and potential within you to wait around for some New Year to give yourself permission to act. Do it now!