Let’s remember that the season of politicking will be over soon

I have gone to several places across the country lately and could see the passions politics generate. This is normal as human beings are naturally political animals. Politics is an important human endeavour anywhere in the globe.

I have seen enough complaints that in Kenya we politic each day of the year whether there is an election or not. But one need to dig bits and bits of history of this country to see why politics has become such an obsession.

Our troublesome past which was accelerated by ruthless colonialism and post-independence handling of politics has made it that way. Our practice of politics and governance has made people extremely keen on politics. Politics means so much to people in Kenya.

Well, being the season for heavy politics there is nothing extra-ordinary in the heavy dose we are experiencing. The only problem in Kenya is that we make choices then soon thereafter we start complaining about them. I think clever politicians have learnt the art of winning and once done the rest could be immaterial. No wonder you can see a lot of basic commodities and notes of money in small values being distributed all over Kenya by politicians vying for various cheats.

They do simply understand the psychology of the average voter. They manipulate the emotions and desires of the moment and get what they want. 

I have seen some analysts wondering why voters end up voting corrupt and crooked individuals and complain later. The simple answer is the moment of excitement for a voter is critical. So manipulating emotions and engineering a clever propaganda comes on top for a politician. In a country where on average many people live a poor to modest life money and other emotional things like tribe and clan means something.

What it should not be lost is that this season of ‘harvesting’ as many of the voters would want to view it, will soon pass and the reality of daily struggles kick in. That is when you will start hearing war cries from the electorate that they deserve this and that which could not be forthcoming. That’s when the people behind the power are also strategizing on what to extract from it. This is the reality dear Kenyans. I think what you deserve and need to ask for is leadership that is action oriented and which delivers on issues that make your lives better. Excitement has proved many times to be a source of disaster.

In social lives ask many people when they have been messed were destroyed financially or socially. It begins mainly at the times of excitements. Most teens get unwanted pregnancies at times of excitements especially nowadays in their numerous parties, sleep overs and such kind of events. That is when they loosen their defenses and end up in a mess of managing the aftermath. It also happens in politics and religious cults. The human being is the same one whether an adult or a growing youth.

There is nothing to stop the propaganda and the political manipulation. The business of politics has those as part of its essential tools. What is critical is to be wary of the choices. Obviously with some shambolic party nominations some of the elected would not have necessarily gone through without the party loyalties which are passionately observed in most parts of the country. Similarly, even those who prevail through fairly will not be necessarily performers.

The complexities on what informs the choices are part of the challenge that makes politics a very difficult business to at times understand. So when electorate gets their people and end up complaining it is just a reflection of what bedevil the society. At the same time unless issues becomes the key things in making choices complaints on performance of the elected will never cease in the near future. So this is just a reminder to electorate to be alive to the fact that the heavy politicking will pass and give way to another cycle of politics but there are many issues that t we have to deal with. Time to sober up as the future is ever unforgiving to mistakes.