The last few days have seen political speak on the campaign trail end up with politicians unleashing very hard tackles on the Twitter streets. The content of the hard-hitting political tackles is not as important as what it brings to the fore.
Granted, when politicians are seeking power from the electorate their campaign messaging is meant to convince the electorate that they will implement and deliver that which will change the lives of the common mwanaichi. Today, many politicians who have been part of the establishment are making fairly lofty promises.
We have two or even three different political formations and even though Azimio la Umoja is still taking shape, at least we know its defacto leader has some social welfare in his manifesto. The fairly definitive bottom up economics model powered by the hustler movement is another formation that is redefining certain basic tenets of democracy and as it is, it would be safe to say that if Kenyans go with the hustler nation, then we would have a government that will be the closest we can get to the ancient Athenian democracy where the commoners sat down to make deliberations on how the governors distributed and allocated resources.
But before we get there we may want to see the mama mbogas, the boda boda guys and ule mtu wa chini given some quota of the UDA tickets to represent these folks in the Senate, National Assembly and most assuredly in the County Assemblies.
A real triumph for the hustler nation would be to see a certain quota of the elective post reserved to wale watu wa chini as they put it.
I mean, wouldn’t it be a clincher of a statement if UDA gave at least one-third of their county assembly nomination certificates to some of these Boda Boda guys they brand in their rallies, the local youths, mama mbogas and the real hustlers? But that sounds like a pudding whose taste we will never know because no one is going to serve it.
Instead, we will be treated to sloganeering and catchphrases and because as a country we suffer the brunt of politicians who are bereft of solid ideas it does appear we will still allow these politicians to come back to the electorate with promises of delivering the very same things that they have failed to deliver with the power they were given five years ago.
A recent tour of the coastal region, for instance, drew fairly ferocious responses to the Deputy President who after serving as the DP for two terms was still lamenting that the government has neglected the coastal region. The veracity of what the DP said and the hard tackles from both Governor Charity Ngilu and Amason Kingi notwithstanding, the recent developments need to be put into context. You see, when elected leaders are in power, they deliver and change lives of those who gave them power, they don’t lament and offer new promises as they seek an extension of that power to govern.
While the coastal people were treated to more promises, the government in its vision of delivering on the pillars of the Big 4 agenda launched yet another project anchored on the Blue Economy. The president’s commissioning of the largest shipyard in East Africa at the Mtongwe Naval Base, Mombasa is poised to be a game-changer that will make Kenya Africa’s biggest ship manufacturing country. This facility that can handle a 4000-tonne vessel with a length of 150 meters, is the second in Kenya after the one at Kisumu Port.
The economic gains of having such a facility cannot be gainsaid, especially with the opening of the Lamu Port and Kenya’s geopolitical significance in the East and Central Africa. In fact, within the wider Road and Bridge Initiative by China’s President Xi Jinping that seeks to interconnect the whole world along the ancient silk road these economic activities will certainly benefit the coastal people for many years to come. And my democracy 101 reminds me that in a democracy, power is given by the governed on the basis of the governors’ manifestos that the governed perceive to be the best bet in addressing their plight. That power is not given forever, but for a limited period of time after which the governed (voters) get another chance to evaluate the extent to which the governors they gave power have addressed their plight. It is the evaluation that informs the decision on whether to extend the term of those in power or take that power and give to another set of potential governors.
One would expect the people of the coastal region not to be hoodwinked by the promises that politicians across the political divide make, but to evaluate how their plight has been addressed in the last ten years and whether they are better off or worse off. To situate it within context, President Uhuru Kenyatta will not be on the ballot next year, but while politicians have been trooping to the coastal region looking for votes, he will certainly rest easy knowing that the blue economy that has taken shape in the coastal region will change the lives of Kenyans. Whoever gets the credit for supporting the president in these developments and promises to take them to the next level, could certainly get some favour from the electorate.
But for that favour to be forthcoming, the people must see the inherent benefits. For instance, the Mtongwe Naval Base will not only save the country approximately Sh6.8 billion annually in servicing Kenya’s marine hardware, but will also offer employment to over 10,000 Kenyans and campaign messaging by politicians seeking to benefit from this must focus on such developments and underscore how they will build on such economic gains rather than lament.
The project has also boosted Kenya’s blue economy potential going forward with over 150 Kenyans who have since benefited directly from skills transfer that puts them in a well-poised position to not only add value to the blue economy but also self-develop and build other capacities locally.
Suffice to say the people of Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa and Lamu want messages of hope, but most importantly an understanding of how the leadership that will take over from President Kenyatta will leverage on the investments in the blue economy and create jobs, generate diverse investment opportunities and raise revenue for the country. The solid foundations are laid and the electorate need to be evaluative enough to make the call.
The author is a PhD Candidate in Media Studies and Political communication.
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