Election not a matter of life and death, let’s co-exist

My dear countrymen, on Tuesday we shall have elections during which we shall elect individuals we expect to do our bidding for the next five years at the local and national levels.

We shall elect members of our county legislature as well as a governor to run the affairs of our immediate environment.

Further, we shall elect members of parliament alongside the president to ensure constitutionally mandated national functions are well taken care of.

CAMPAIGNS
For the past few months thousands of aspirants have crisscrossed the country trying to convince us to mark the ballots in their favour.

Some of them have come backed by heavy party machinery, while others have, for one reason or another, opted to campaign as independents.

A majority of the aspirants will be unsuccessful since the positions available to be filled are fewer than the multitudes aspiring to fill them.

LOSERS
It follows, therefore, that after the elections, we shall have thousands of disappointed aspirants, some of who will go into severe depression and require the services of mental health experts.

There are very many confident men and women out there who will lose the elections so badly they will never recover for the rest of their lives.

For them it is a matter of life and death. That is exactly as it should be.

It is obvious that each of the aspirants has in their respective constituencies people who live on their every word, and who have assured them of an overwhelming victory that only a demented person will think to contest in court.

CRUCIAL TIME

Unfortunately within the same constituency there will be others who so loathe the aspirant that they will think of making serious changes in their lives should the fellow win.

However, chances are that they will only suffer some post-election dysphoria that will dissipate within a few weeks or months at most.

That, too, is as it should be.

Unfortunately, our politicians have over the years attempted to switch the reactions, making the election seem like a matter of life and death for the voter and a minor irritation for the aspirants themselves.

PROTESTS

As a result, “losing” voters get more disappointed than the aspirants, and the aspirants encourage them to act out their disappointment like petulant toddlers.

The result is often violent protests in the streets targeting property belonging to those who, through their known or presumed (from their surname!) political affiliation, are thought to be supporters of the “winner”.

We have been there before, several times. We are not going there again.

CREDIBILITY

As a nation we have agreed that our elections henceforth shall be transparent, free and fair events, whose results should be above suspicion.

We have set up an elections management system that has so far withstood all sorts of shocks, and which we expect to deliver on its constitutional promise.

The latest shock was the brutal murder of a key official at the electoral commission, and one can only hope that the cynical monster that carried out this heinous act will be caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

UNITY
Political party leaders have so far managed to keep their heads, although at times we are forced to hold our collective breath as politicians engage in reckless brinkmanship.

At the end of the day we, the citizens of this fair republic, expect an election that will mark another milestone in the solidification of our sense of 'Kenyanness', an election we shall remember in future as an important marker of our maturity.

PEACE
This is why I refuse to join many of my friends in the exhortation of Kenyans to “vote peacefully” or its many variations.

I am convinced if the elections are competently handled, voters will peacefully accept the results and organise to hold the winners accountable for the next five years.

I am convinced a clearly transparent election will firmly guarantee the peaceful coexistence we all crave after closely fought elections.

Now let all of us ensure we vote on Tuesday, and may the best candidates win!

Atwoli is Associate Professor and Dean, Moi University School of Medicine [email protected]