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President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and his Deputy William Ruto (right).

COUNTDOWN TO 2022

Sideshows aside, Let Ruto take part in the presidential debate

In the run-up to the 2022 elections, different stages of the campaign have shaped the momentum and as we get to the homestretch, the bandwagon effect will triumph for the coalition that is perceived to be headed to victory. From the formation of coalitions to the unveiling of running mates and the unveiling of the manifestos we have seen the tide shift and the next big thing is the presidential debate.

Already there are indications that Kenya Kwanza will boycott the debate because as critics say, it might be the final straw that breaks Kenya Kwanza’s back. Suffice to say, they are advancing quite serious allegations against the media. Granted, the media as the principal purveyor of political information is very critical in helping the public understand the political tide. Often, the political formations that are projected by the media to be on the way to victory benefit a great deal from the bandwagon effect – the undecided, a big percentage going by the opinion polls, are always inclined to join the winning side. Therefore, the question of the media taking sides is fairly interesting because as the only institution that has some sort of a social contract with the public, the media has a fairly big sway in how the elections and the issues that are contending are perceived and interpreted.

In 2008 when Fox News threw its weight behind President Barack Obama it became clear that he was on the road to a historic victory, though some claim it tilted the tide in his favour. But just so that the idea of taking sides is not confused with supporting a political formation, Fox News and the entire News Corp group did not base their decision on Obama or the Democrats’ interest. They looked at the overarching public interest at the time and provided a robust rationale why President Obama’s campaign platform offered the best for the American people and the world.

Today, the media can certainly offer directions, especially based on public interest and anchored on the manifestos given by the presidential candidates. Often, the media succeeds in offering a pathway for decision-making, but not overtly. Simply put, by robustly asking questions and digging dip into what these manifestos promise, the media can illuminate the manifestos so much so that whether they tell the public who to vote for becomes academic because the choice will be clear. And that includes the discourse the media advances or gives prominence to with regard to the presidential candidates and their running mates, especially track record and how they have addressed themselves on the very in their manifestos.

Both the Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance are providing solid insights on the problems that Kenyans are facing today. However, the two formations provide different proposal for dealing with the issues. Prof Wajackoya of Roots Party has also come in with interesting ideas and probably solutions that have spurred the citizenry to move beyond the problems and to the solutions. You see, when the good Professor talks about selling medicinal marijuana, parts of wild animals, snakes and venom, and all that, not many ask what will happen to our tourism when we start the trade of hunting and gathering. Interestingly many are coming back to Baba and William Ruto to interrogate their manifesto, because the next president will come from the two.

A lot of the spotlight is on just two presidential candidates, their manifestos and increasingly the people around these candidates. That’s why Kenya Kwanza will be shooting itself in the foot by attending any national debate, be it presidential or the deputy presidential debate. The abstract promises they have made in their manifesto, including the many things that the government is already doing will be put in context and the right questions asked. It is one thing to tell Kenyans about a 50 billion hustlers’ fund, but it is another to identify who a hustler is? Azimio will probably have even tougher questions to answer on the social protection agenda within the Azimio Inawezekana 10, Baba Care, which has the Ksh 6,000 for the vulnerable households.

An interesting dichotomy if you may because on the one hand, you have Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance that has a very productive and manufacturing-leaning manifesto while on the other you have Kenya Kwanza which has a very progressive and aspirational manifesto. The question is, while investment in Agriculture is well articulated in both, Azimio has a distributed approach to it and clear value addition that is attached to agricultural and extractive production and value addition – at least one industrial production under the banner of one county one product. This is a fairly measurable promise and Kenyans can hold them accountable, two or three years down the line. On the other hand, Kenya Kwanza is big on agriculture and MSMEs and the question is, how that will translate to distributed wealth creation and put money in the people in every village in this country. What stops all these MSMEs from concentrating in the urban centres and cities and perhaps a continuation of the divide that concentrates wealth of the nation at the macro level. Granted, the hustlers fund and how Kenya Kwanza seeks to boost economic development through MSMEs is seminal, but fairly aspirational and abstract. Indeed, with commendable growth at the macroeconomic level during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reign, one expects the next government to go big on the smallest business enterprises to boost the microeconomic activities and put money in the pockets of Kenyan at the bottom of the pyramid; and that must mean a break from the tradition of funding or supporting any other small businesses to a deliberate framework of supporting small businesses in the periphery. However, in looking at the Kenya Kwanza plan, they intend to do this by decriminalisation of small business! What exactly does that mean and who has criminalised what? It is populist to say such things in political rallies but in a presidential debate no one can get away with that.

What about the hustlers’ fund and how do you operationalise who a hustler is? There in, Kenyans should smell the new age hustlers who fly in choppers and ride in fuel guzzlers and given the people around the presidential candidates presenting these two manifestos we need to ask more questions. Between the Kenya Kwanza team and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance team in totally where do we see a leadership that can deliver on the manifesto, they have presented to us? Which team has the wherewithal and track record to fight corruption, unite Kenyans, address issues of unequitable distribution of resources and most importantly lead this country to greater prosperity while at the same time taking care of the most vulnerable amongst us? As a country we might need internet in all homes, but as a people we know we have many Kenyans amongst us who have no place to call home and many who cannot call their “homes” home because they cannot afford the most basic necessity – food. We need leadership that will sake Kenyans from the indignity of living in deplorable conditions and the media is critical in helping us pick between the choices that we have without taking sides and if they do they should be taking the publics’ side.  

The author is a PhD Candidate in Media Studies and Political communication.

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