Kenya in dire need of new style of leadership

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over Kenya as the country prepares to go to the polls. Many people would admit that they are a little nervous about whether or not the coming elections could plunge the country back into the chaotic madness that erupted after the elections of 2007.

In spite of repeated assurances by the government that measures are in place to ensure a peaceful election, there is still an unspoken fear.

With the election violence of 2007/8 still fresh in people’s minds, the unanswered question is whether all the legal, constitutional, administrative, and security measures being taken are enough to ensure that the already heated race for State House does not result in a similar, or even worse, eruption.

The upcoming elections will draw the curtain on the Kibaki era and, at the same time, usher in a new structure of government that is yet to be fully understood. In this moment of uncertainty, what Kenya needs, more than anything else, is strong, decisive leadership.

Unfortunately, the outgoing administration, composed of two competing political parties, is already consumed with succession politics, seemingly at the expense of national issues.

Political posturing is affecting both the quality of debate and the enactment of laws that are supposed to lay the tracks for successful implementation of the Constitution.

The hundreds of thousands of Kenyans who bore the brunt of the post-election violence have all but given up hope of ever being restored or compensated for the price they paid for being the “wrong” tribe or in the “wrong” part of the country.

The fight against corruption seems to have been shelved, with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission having been virtually incapacitated.

These and several other critical issues facing the country are casting a shadow on the Kibaki legacy and heightening anxiety over the direction the country will take after his retirement from politics.

The question that looms is whether the man or woman who will succeed President Kibaki will have the mettle to tackle corruption, instil in Kenyans renewed pride in their country, and inspire confidence in government.

The coming elections will either serve as a page turner for a new season of hope or be a damning end to a story of a people who could have had it all but instead chose the path of self-destruction.

In a strange way, the shock of the 2007/08 post-election violence could be viewed as the catalyst that finally forced the country to begin to confront many deep-rooted issues that otherwise would have remained unresolved. Out of that crisis emerged a chance for Kenyans to lay a new foundation and define a new direction for their country.

The 2012 elections will be like no other. It will be a revolution. That revolution could easily take the form of a violent uprising, or it could be a quiet revolution that ushers in a new cadre of great leaders who have the courage to challenge the status quo, and who are committed to shifting the focus of politics from personalities to real issues that affect the people.

Great leadership involves personal sacrifice and an unwavering commitment to a set of principles and ideals. And great leaders know that leadership is never about the leader, but the led.

Pete Ondeng is the chairman of the East Africa Leadership Institute. pete@eastafricaleadership.com