Citizens should demand the type of leader they want

Emuhaya Member of Parliament Wilbur Ottichilo (right) at Flamingo Beach Resort & Spa in Mombasa in 2014. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • I am sure there are many good leaders deserving of popular demand to run.

  • I am also sure we have movements in the country that could use the current pre-election context to identify priorities that force aspirants align with popular agenda.

  • Many such proactive initiatives would serve the purpose of constructing or shaping the calibre of leadership going into this year's General Election.

  • But this will not happen if grassroots movements don’t spring up to independently vouch for the leadership we deserve.

Many times in the past, we have heard aspirants claim they are running for office in response to popular grass-roots demands. Often, it is difficult, even impossible, to verify these claims. In many more instances, those who make the claims end up losing spectacularly in the elections while others do not even make it to the final ballot. In most cases, therefore, leaders simply manufacture self-serving claims about popular demand for them to run for office. Often, these claims have no basis in the communities at issue.

Yet, this should not dissuade ordinary citizens from independently mobilising to demand the type of leadership in their wards, constituencies or counties. Popular demand for specific leaders to run for elective office opens the space to progressive opportunities. It is a sure way towards emancipatory politics. This is a politics in which citizens assume overall control of their leadership and structure a set of expectations and vision for what that leadership ought to accomplish during their tenure. The expectations in turn become the basis around which the leadership will be assessed at the expiry of their term.

In other words, emancipatory politics lifts the agenda around which campaigns are organised from an individual leader’s imposition into a collective promise. It makes electoral promises collective in which the process towards attaining specific targets is participatory rather than simply top-down.

ORDINARY PEOPLE

This contrasts with the traditional conduct of politics where leaders decide what they want to offer, whip ordinary people into supporting their top-down priorities and essentially control the narrative around outcome and achievement. It is this approach that has stalked our politics for decades, making sure that politicians ravage the nation because they hoodwinked voters, bought votes and controlled the narrative on the scorecard.

So far, I have come across a few such popular initiatives demanding that specific individuals run for office. I recently stumbled on a Facebook post mobilising support for Mr Okiya Omtatah Okoiti to run for the senatorial position for Busia. Started by someone who confirms he had not discussed it with Mr Omtatah, the initiate drew inspiration from the selfless acts of activism that Omtatah has mounted since the current Constitution was promulgated. His strategy has been impressive to many since he turned courts into his base of activism and almost single-handedly fought battles against abuse of office and the law. He has achieved several spectacular successes.

The other candidate enjoying similar popular demand has been Dr Wilbur K. Ottichilo. Dr Ottichilo is the current MP for Emuhaya, where his performance has earned him accolades from many ordinary people. His engagement with his constituency is not only well planned and executed but it is also defined by a rare ability to listen to everyone and seek to achieve what he promised his constituents. This is the reason he was ranked with the highest approval rating by his constituents among serving MPs in 2015.

NOT LOUDER

Dr Ottichilo wants to scale this performance to Vihiga, where he is running to be governor. What is surprising is that the demand by ordinary people in Vihiga for such a performing leadership isn’t louder. One would imagine that the opportunity of such a person running to be governor would spark independent groups to colonise his campaign and steer it in a direction that serves their priorities so that such leaders become servants of the electorate.

I am sure that there are many other good leaders deserving of such popular demand to run. I am also sure we have movements in the country that could use the current pre-election context to identify priorities that force aspirants align with popular agenda. Many such proactive initiatives would serve the purpose of constructing or shaping the calibre of leadership going into this year's General Election. But this will not happen if grass-roots movements don’t spring up to independently vouch for the leadership we deserve.

Godwin R. Murunga teaches development studies at the University of Nairobi.