My hopes and dreams for Kibra people

Kibra Constituency has demonstrated what is possible when leadership is pro-people.

It signified what collective responsibility and accountable leadership can achieve by making the priorities of its people an agenda.

Any constituent you talk to about Kibra is not shy of telling you how they continually feel lost because of Ken Okoth's passing, especially knowing that the current popular candidates are capable of completely ruining the work that was already done with no consequences.

This is a genuine concern knowing that Kenya politics has been bastardised to accept all and any kind of mediocrity. Politicians unashamedly run amok while the people struggle.

The contest got me thinking about what the irreducible minimums of Kibra constituents should be to ensure Kibra doesn’t stagnate or even sink like most constituencies whose development record is as elusive as Kenya’s fight against corruption.

I realised that much of the work that was done by the late Okoth intentionally involved the youth of Kibra.

SOUND LEADERS
This model of leadership must, therefore, be maintained. It is only by scaling what has already been proven to be working that we keep building; otherwise, we digress and decline.

However, it is necessary to state that we've also learnt that not all youth are progressive thinkers and doers.

This means that whoever takes over Kibra leadership should ensure that only those who want to move Kibra forward are included.

Secondly, they've been flamboyant colourful campaigns which aren’t new in Kenya. But I hope desperately that when the dust finally settles and the babel of political competition dies down, voters will have made the best choice.

I hope this choice is not based on bribery of voters because anyone who pays to be elected has no intention of serving but wants to recoup the money they used to buy the election.

DIGNITY

Thirdly, I hope voters won’t forget that exercising their democratic rights by voting is not an event but a process that is continuous.

They should remember to hold to account whoever comes into leadership. It is imperative that voters understand that while a candidate's work in the Kenyan context ends after getting elected, the voter’s work begins immediately after.

The voter's work keeps on through consistent engagement in governance processes and demanding service delivery.

I truly hope the people of Kibra don’t tire in the pursuit of better leadership and that they are united in this journey.

Lastly, I hope that whatever happens at the end of the by-election, Kibra is able to sustain the gains it made.

May the person in charge of people's lives value these lives and treat each and every resident of Kibra with the dignity they deserve.

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