Kenyans have been urged to participate actively in governance by vetting all those seeking votes for the August 9 General Election.
For a long time, politics has been a reserve of just a small group of people with the majority participating as mere voting blocs. This time around, environmentalist Isaac Kalua says every voter must take charge of their destiny by vetting all those seeking their support.
The Green Thinking Action Party (G-TAP) leader last weekend launched a campaign for Kitui County candidates with a call for citizens' participation in governance.
Dr Kalua noted that Kenyans were suffering from bad leadership because they had opted to shy away from governance and left it to politicians only.
Addressing a gathering at Kitui Stadium for his party's candidates among them Joseph Muviwa, who is running for Kitui Central MP seat, Kalua said Kenyans should elect leaders with a passion to change lives.
"As a country, we must wake up and think straight. We must recalibrate our leadership if we want to see growth," he said while urging voters to desist from the politics of handouts.
He called for a good mix where youth and women are integrated in leadership and every citizen counts in governance.
He said G-TAP seeks a people-centred government through transformative leadership that will empower households as the primary drivers of development. "Our party is committed to taking an audit of what politicians promise the people. We shall come back and ask 'what did you achieve among your promises?" he said.
Kalua urged Kenyans not to be hoodwinked by the size of political parties, saying it does not matter how big the party is, but what the party is doing for the people.
He noted that redistribution of power and resources is key in ensuring society and the environment are valued in political governance.
He said his party's pillars namely are ethical and effective governance, sustainable wealth generation and dignity of the household.
He said although G-TAP is not fielding a presidential candidate, they will ensure the next government is committed to serving Kenyan families.
He described G-TAP as a new platform and an alternative outfit for Kenyans at the grassroots level. Kalua said the party aligns with the Vision 2030 and seeks a new industrialising middle-income economy, providing a high-quality life to its citizens.
"There is a clear need for Kenya to adopt a manufacturing-led development to carry along a majority of its citizens," Kalua added.
