A CANDID DISCUSSION.

A CANDID DISCUSSION.

It is almost another season, should we say so, well,if we were in the tropics we could call it summer, summer time is so crucial,it when you have to learn to nourish and to protect what you have, defend ourselves against our enemies, our enemies in this case are those who want our votes, indeed it is a unique time, mixed with challenges, we have opportunities to make great decisions and again a chance to be trapped to make our worst of decisions, it’s not new we have done in the past,we must be very careful to nourish our values, getting registered as a voter,but we must learn to do battle with our enemies,those that want to sell to us second hand,outdated or lack for a better word expired concepts through white lies,we have to be weary, whatever threatens us we have to threaten it back,the wanjiku,karambu,nekesa,Aluoch,mwajuma,simaloi…..of today are not of the yester years, let us take care of our responsibility,but let’s not take care of someone who doesn’t have us in his manifesto, someone who wants to destroy our chance for the future, that we know little about. But whatever the case we have to be optimistic,we have to stand tall we, should not doubt the future,let us not doubt the possibilities, don’t ever doubt ourselves,let us be careful not to sell ourselves short,we have the audacity to go to the market and buy what we don’t have,and always as true,we go for the best,fresh products, unless there is some kind of mischief from the traders.Let us be careful for those who want to play with our phycology as voters,those are our worst enemies,they are enemies of the mind, it just struck me how we are swindled and blind folded by this pessimist syndrome,the glass is half empty, fine that is not difficult, believe the glass is half empty period, be incharge of your own mind,stand up strong and educate the pessimists,let no one take advantage of majority of our voters for not having and education, thinking they are too damn ,too stupid,be in charge of your own mind,your own destiny,back to the glass, the glass is half empty and at the same time half full, very critical. As we heal from our past experiences,we invest more into the future,it is a powerful place you the voter has the power to decide.On the same wavelength we have the leadership role,those that we trust with our votes, choose the best words you can,do not fail in an opportunity to challenge your words work magic for you, regardless of you age,colour,ethinicity,and your wealth or status quo, always remember content but disregard intent. The political discourse in African countries,leave us with one direct question from the land of the absurd, should we call a lie a lie,when is a lie a good lie or a bad lie? that leaves us with all the answers that we can easily extract from our past experiences as evidence,as proof, for the young leaders stepping on the stage, above all do not lie,I know it is difficult in African politics but it doesn’t matter it costs less to protect and value truth at all costs, sometimes we get away with little lies, simply because we lacked courage to embrace the truth,we would use a busy schedule when you had none,stuck in traffic, telling the truth makes you escape the guilt of wanting to kill yourself afterwards,and again it doesn’t mean that when you say the truth everything is going to work out for you. When you tell the truth you sleep well at night,there is nothing better than waking up in the morning holding in you the full measure of integrity,we love to wallowing in praise,the hardest truth that we should accept and tell ourselves,is rejection ,it is still homeless never found itself a home, another truth about ourselves that is hard to consider as leaders,is the truth about our failures,our fragilities,our un certainities, it’s just hard to tell ourselves that we haven’t given our best as we could. A citizen leader,immodest form of modesty, who will be led if everyone wants to be a leader,but whether you are being led or you are in a leadership role always bent to the side of truth, and to help you this,learn from past mistakes of your predecessors, understand your community needs,make the human story the centre of your understanding of the world,think of your voters as people,not as obstructions that have to conform to bloodless ego but as people who are fragile, imperfect, people with pride that can be easily wounded and hearts that can be touched and dreams that can be made a reality through intergresion and goodwill. Literature is accurate it mirrors into the society ills,human beings are all a flawed , including myself ,but the good thing is that,even if we are a flawed ,we are capable of endearing goodness,we do not need to be perfect first,before we can do that which is right,changing from zero to one is a process,but when you decide to step into the political arena you are not unfamiliar by speaking and telling the truth,when Kenya fought for our independence,when we fought for the enactment of the section 2A, when you witnessed the promulgation of our new constitution 2010, when you fought for the freedom of speech and freedom of the press,you were championing the truth, speaking the truth about the dignity that everyone else,every single human being deserves,I must applaud you, I urge you to continue we are not yet there,but remember that outside the civilian role entering the leadership role,the consequences will be greater,the stakes will be higher but, please don’t let that stop you from telling the truth,you know pretty too well what happens in politicised spaces already,telling the truth here will be an act of courage,never set out to provoke for the sake of provoking, remember when I started I touched on what you have to say,but never silence yourself out of fear,the truth you will speak will hurt, will open up healed wounds, people can be remarkably resistance to the facts that they do not know and like,but don’t let that silence you from telling the truth, it’s your duty an obligation you owe it to yourself. Be courageous and candid enough to acknowledge that if there is no value in the other opposition,there is value in knowing what that position stands for, listen to the other side, at least the reasonable side,be courageous enough to acknowledge that democracy is always fragile and that justice has nothing to do with political right or the political left,be aware and recognise the things that get in the way of telling the truth,the empty cleverness,the morally bankrupt,the desire to please,the tendency to confuse your ego and their urgent needs ,a skill that any intelligent leader should possess, it is mandatory and ingredient that you must have. As we get into the campaign mood, let’s not forget to distance ourselves from divisive politics,I think we don’t have time and a place of politics that doesn’t engineer us to build social capital,a collective commitment in the form of trust,honesty and other elements as regards to social arrangements necessary for the execution of individual optimisation. Truth be told majority of our leaders starting from the grassroots level through the county level up to the national level ,must prepare to handing over the button to a new crop of leadership,this is obvious with afew months left before we hit the homestretch, many will be casualties, some out of their own will,but many will not be able to sustain the heat of this race,as our reminder ,Kenyans have been treated to chaos, there has been unruly behaviour and disobedience of law by our politicians as well as county assembly members,the dramas we have witnessed is enough to make a long series ,which would be a block buster, there has been blackmail, name-calling, unsavoury language and indecency. This has not been different with our doctors, nurses and teachers,when exercising their constitutional rights, of holding demonstrations,which is their right to ethically exercise it,but for some, instead using decorum has earned them disrepute to their high standing in society.The deficiency of integrity in public leadership leaves alot of questions,it is a concern to worry,this has substantially contributed to bad governance as manifested in corrupt dealings and impunity. When Kenyans overwhelmingly voted for the new constitution dispensation 2010,one key factor was to end impunity,this had indeed bedeviled our country for decades.We continue to experience incidences of the breakdown of the rule of law,human rights violations,ethnic malpractices, corruption and economic crimes,this should not be allowed to continue,indeed it is a shame,it means that our Constitution especially chapter 6, has no meaning,the transformative servant that we yearned for will still remain elusive,you must not be scared to remain relevance on this and many other thorny issues. Back to the leadership role, Articles 73 and 75 of our Constitution states clearly, that state officers to conduct themselves in a manner that, shows respect for the people they serve,promotes public confidence bringing honour to the nation and dignity to the office they hold,the provisions of chapter six are echoed in, under the leadership and integrity act 2012. Accept that life is not always a bed of roses,life will not always match your ideologies,even better still your choices will not align with your ideologies,when you justify ,do not rationalize but acknowledge it.As a leader you will inspire resentment and hopefully the humanity of everyone including your opponents, but this is nothing as compared to the enormous privilege that comes with that title Hon.By being a leader you possess some kind of power, unlike before,you get access to people and opportunities that we the voter cannot,that is a critical moment, you have to make a choice between your position and your electorate who deserves first priority,change you must change, a sensible tree moves from darkness to light to survive,use that moment to spur change don’t wait to be reminded, change the livelihood of your people no matter how small but tandem with your promise,there will be dissatisfaction ,be propelled, get into the system change the system but don’t allow the system to short-change you, challenge the assumptions that have existed for ages,the truth here is that the universal does not belong to any group of people,this are not cosmetic words meant for advertising, everyone’s story is potentially universal, how would you want your story written? You are privileged,let nobody undermine you, let nobody decide for you,you have all what it takes continue working on yourself, you won’t believe what is waiting for your on the other side,follow your own unique path,a new path be different.