Do you plan to win elections in 2017? Here’s some early advice

If you work in government or in some companies in the private sector and plan to run in the 2017 elections, you have just over one month left at work.

A memo from Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service, Joseph Kinyua, sets the date by which someone wishing to run should declare and resign as February 7, 2017.

But the truth is, if you are going to wait until February 7 to run, you are probably too late.

By now you should have been on the ground, connecting with village groups, marketing your capabilities and showing your personal touch, all without announcing that you are campaigning.

You should probably also have been talking to the right people in a political party.

In Kenya’s online space, which sometimes sets trends and moves government officials to action, the message remains as strong as ever; if you want a better government you should join it and run it instead of merely shouting and tweeting at it.

A few weeks ago, Pawa254 founder, author and activist Boniface Mwangi said he would be stepping down this coming January. He said he would be running for a political seat and seems to be turning his words into actions again.

Elected office looks more lucrative than ever, even if statistics from past parliamentary elections show about 70 per cent of MP’s don't get re-elected. A sure five-year job that does not seem to require much other than speaking?

THE RIGHT PARTY

Did you know there are 2,222 MCAs in the country – 1,450 elected, and 772 nominated?

For the first time, having seen what has happened in the last four years, Kenyans will be able to understand what the new seats created in the 2010 constitution really are. A Senator works in a more dignified setting than an MCA, but also a more idle one.

The rush for seats looks astounding. Here are two tweets from last week:

The rush for political parties is often messy, but if you don’t plan to run with the main political party in your region, you must have remarkable name recognition and familiarity with voters, millions of whom still vote along party lines by selecting all candidates next to a party symbol without even looking for a candidate’s name.

Do not vote for a governor MP, MCA or Senator based on party lines or name recognition.

A 2002 Transparency International report found that over two thirds of elections are not closely contested, i.e., the winner gets double the votes of the loser, signifying the importance of being in the right party.

How many people know where their local ward or constituency boundaries are, or can name their MP or MCA? Many people on Twitter think Kenneth Okoth of Kibra is their MP but there are 17 constituencies in Nairobi, each with an MP, and over 100 MCAs.

COUNTY AMBASSADORS

MPs hog all the news. MCAs have, unfortunately, been in the news only when they impeach governors, fly somewhere or have fistfights. Yet MCAs are very powerful, and can probably do more to change a neighbourhood than any of the other elected leaders on a ballot.

Many people hope the chaotic and corrupt scenes from the first devolved era will not be repeated, that national and county governments will work better together and there will be less duplication or roles, clashes of functions and unnecessary procurement made without budgets.

That MCAs won’t have to fly to Singapore or Israel and that counties won’t try to place ambassadors in the United States.

Many also hope the next elections will usher in more development and services because audit and anti-corruption officials will understand devolved roles.

Also, the economy is also not as strong as it was in 2010 and you now have striking doctors questioning why an MCA should earn more than a doctor.

Twitter: @bankelele