Political debates are good for democracy

Set podium for Nairobi County governor debate at CUEA on July 11, 2022. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Kenyans across the country will be glued to their television sets today to follow the Deputy Presidential debate.

Ruth Mutua (Agano Party), Justina Wamae (Roots Party), Rigathi Gachagua (UDA) and Martha Karua (Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition) will face off at Catholic University for Eastern Africa in Nairobi starting 6pm. The presidential debate will be held on July 26. Gubernatorial debates have been taking place in various counties.

The importance of televised presidential debates in elections cannot be overemphasised. They have been a ritual in the US elections since 1960 when Richard Nixon squared off against John F Kennedy.

In Kenya, the first presidential debate was held in 2013 and the culture is now entrenched. Kenyans look forward to these debates ahead of every presidential election. And for good reasons.

During such debates, the candidates are hard-pressed by seasoned journalists to explain their policies and vision for the country and how they plan to achieve them. The debates are unlike the populist campaign rallies where politicians promise the unquestioning public even pies in the sky. The candidate get a platform to sell themselves.

The debate will help the voters to make informed choices; to sift the wheat from the chaff. The debates are therefore important for the voters and just as they are for the candidates.

Yet despite the importance of these debates, the Kenya Kwanza camp has suggested that their top candidates might not show up for the debates. They have a legitimate concern; they claim the media have been biased against them.

While the media are supposed to be balanced and objective, there is no guarantee that all of them can be on any particular matter, let alone elections.

But the good thing with these debates is that the candidates are being allotted equal time to respond. Indeed, the secretariat has promised to deliver fair and objective debate. They must do that. Kenyans are watching.