The election we want can happen - here's how

What you need to know:

  • However, we need a common point of departure, before it starts to feel as if the period will be happening to us without a sense of control.
  • Which political parties, say, have recruited the most women by advancing positions favourable to half of the country’s population?
  • There are likely to be outright lies, inflated or conjured up statistics, opinions presented as facts and no shortage of electoral promises.

The election season - with its excitement, tension, and its anxiety-inducing episodes - is descending upon us.

With it will come norms that we have, consciously or otherwise, adopted and internalised over time.

The all-too-familiar senses of helplessness, hope and disillusionment, promises and dreams, opportunism and self-aggrandisement are already upon many of us.

Power is actually skewed towards the electorate, but how do we channel it in a way that makes a dent, or starts to alter the course of how we do election seasons?

Suffice it to say that a general consensus may not be achieved; we are not a monolithic, homogeneous lot. We have a diverse range of desires, aspirations and motivations.

However, we need a common point of departure before it starts to feel as if this election period will be happening to us, without a sense of control.

What alternative narratives, what small actions, can we start taking to tackle the behemoth that is the troublesome, uncomfortable practices around our elections? Below, I propose a few:

1. Alter the framing of voting based on ethnicity

We have already been simplified into the “tyranny of numbers”, where the baseline of political analysis and commentary is centred on Tribe X forming a coalition with Tribe Y for Outcome Z.

Political strategies, one would deduce from listening to politicians, are based almost entirely on galvanising voters based on their last names, or from where they hail.

No other issues or ideals seem to reside in our political organising space. Cynically, one could argue that it’s somewhat refreshing that we aren’t being taken on a joy ride. I for one am not deluded about the near impossibility of altering how people think or speak about electoral politics.

While ethnic alignments will be upon us for a very, very long time, the urgent issues of our time, those requiring a different kind of political thinking, are increasingly deviating further and further away from mere ethnicity.

If there is a critical mass of citizens tired of this framing and organising, it is imperative that they lend their voices to driving demand to change the way we discuss, reflect and organise our politics.

This demand must be heard, seen and felt loud and clear amongst politicians, the media and any other spaces. Demand yields supply!

Why, for instance, does there seem to be no public information on just how many people are on the voter register per age group or per gender?

Discussions and predictions of voting patterns based on these demographics would make for a much-needed alternative to framing how Kenyans vote.

It cannot be that we all stand by the sidelines dissatisfied by all the ethno-political rhetoric that’s only bound to increase further if we let it.

Ethnicity is still a crucial component of Kenya’s make-up, but there is more to our political, economic and social interests. We have to dare to get to another level, where those other components start to manifest in our political organising.

2. Drive demand for ideology-based political parties

One of these surveys testing the country’s political mood would do well to ask Kenyans about their understanding of the role political parties play.

Recently, the formation of a new political party was announced, the intriguing bit being that it will not field a political candidate next year, but is willing to work with the existing ones.

The said party is engaging the electorate across the country to get their views, the announcement further stated.

I read all that with some ambivalence. Was it a case of pouring new wine into old wineskins or strategically positioned political survival or the harbinger of a trend that could stick?

There has also been talk of other political parties aiming to organise along ideological fronts. We may yet be getting there.

Which political parties, say, have recruited the most women by advancing positions favourable to half of the country’s population? Is there a demand for such parties in our political appetite?

It may be deeply suppressed, owing to just how entrenched the status quo is. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like, if a few more people dared for an alternative, both for next year’s election and beyond.

3.  Verify, and re-verify every claim and statistic

We will be treated to “infowars” during this period, no doubt. One of the main battlefronts is bound to be online. Those who have been walking along the digital streets a while will be familiar with the form information propaganda may take.

There are likely to be outright lies, inflated or conjured-up statistics, opinions presented as facts and no shortage of electoral promises.

The very simple act of questioning, asking for the source, will go a long way in disrupting misinformation strategies. Powered by its conversational nature, social media need not evoke a sense of doom and gloom during the election season.

The online sleuth culture is encouraging, and goes a long way towards entrenching the constitutional right to information.

A number of websites and initiatives have dedicated time and effort into ensuring that public data is accessible and interpretable, but even more could be done by demanding more of it to inform decision-making.

Storytellers have a critical role to play in weaving alternative narratives because facts alone may not necessarily be compelling.

As we have seen with hate speech, for instance, the power of countering narratives is critical in setting the rules of engagement in digital spaces. While hate-mongers are plentiful, they have neither the final say nor do they wield the most power.

Here’s to daring for something different. We are in for an interesting ride.

Twitter: @NiNanjira

Editor's Note: The new party referred to in this article is not associated with President Kenyatta as earlier indicated.