The Lingering Impact of Ethical Questions in the 2022 Kenya General Elections

 

Ethical questions do not have correct or incorrect answers, but all ethical questions communicate a message and have immediate consequences. Ethical questions have a short term impact on decision making and long term impact on the advancement of a society. While ethical choices may appear harmless, they are always driven by values. In other words, it is possible to shout ethical principles and yet act in line with your values. For example, everyone volubly condemns corruption without a question, yet when faced with a choice of whether to bribe a policeman and get home to a peaceful evening or drive away with an inconvenient court summons, it is not a difficult choice to make. We all face ethical questions on a personal level and how we resolve them is within our power. However, making ethical choices assumes that we are all able to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad as well as determine between better and the best action in a situation for the future wellbeing of society.

Nonetheless, the circumstances surrounding the Kenya General elections have thrown up several ethical questions which have a long term bearing on the development of our society. Voting patterns present us with the first ethical question. Did you vote for the most qualified candidate or did you vote for your tribesman? If you voted for the most qualified candidate, you expect services in line with the candidate qualifications. Your messaging is that development is important and should be pursued as a priority. If you voted for your tribesman to keep leadership in the community, your messaging implies that increasing numbers through reproduction is a priority to keep leadership within the community. Nevertheless, if you did not vote, what message were you communicating to society?  

In the on-again-off-again case of the impeached Nairobi governor, the flip-flop drama suggests that the law does not matter, it is the interpretation of the law that counts. The message to society is that you don’t have to live by the rules so long as you can convince the law that it is your right to do so. In the on-again-off-again case of the Nairobi governor candidate whose education certificate was approved-rejected-and-accepted, the message to school students suggests that education may be good, but cannot be verified by a certificate thereof. Society does not value education - engage in it at your own risk.

When a political grouping decamps from Azimio to UDA or vice versa, what message are they sending voters? They show a pathetic disdain for the voters whom they used to get into office using a manifesto they never really believed in. They suggest that voting was just a game which the winner takes all using taxpayer’s money.

Many have heralded the lack of violence in these election as a sign of peace and national maturity. Indeed, the call for peace and justice is a delicate matter. But, we must ask whether peace is to be pursued beyond the rule of law or at the expense of righteousness? The ethical question here is, should a criminal be allowed to get away peacefully because the victim remains silent?

 Perhaps the most challenging ethical question touted by all political parties is the perennial lack of the nation to deal with corruption. Corruption uses the law to extract payments from its victims. The ethical message here suggests to society is that the law is powerless to protect the people. The result is the peoples’ loss of faith in national institutions.

Why do these questions matter? These unresolved ethical questions leave society uncertain and groping about for clarity and direction. These unresolved questions damage the social fabric to the extent that society is unable to galvanize the momentum it needs to heal and propel itself to a better future. These questions leave many feeling deluded, helpless victims of fraud, apathetic to the cause of citizenship. They leave people disinterest in governance and the collective responsibility of nationhood. These questions need to be pragmatically resolved to lay the foundations of an aspirational and prosperous nation.

 

THREE ways to get things done; Get in the right frame of mind

 

Three ways to get things done

Many people struggle with the combined concepts of empowerment, personal development and leadership. They are certainly related, but different. Empowerment is to acquire the right frame of mind, attitude and inspiration to pursue your dreams. Personal development is the initiative you take to equip yourself with hands-on-skills to remain relevant in a dynamic environment. Leadership is the character you need to undertake and accomplish the noble goals you set for yourself for the benefit of others.

Empowerment

Do you find yourself in a position where you are capable of doing something you need to do, but won’t do it? Like saving money for a project you would love to undertake. You believe it is a good idea. You even have an available source of funds (Income, salary or wages) to enact this dream project. But is just doesn’t get off the ground. May be it is the desire to go back to school, build a house or mentor kids in the local market, it remains a dream. If you are here, then you need empowerment. How do you get into the right frame of mind to do what you need to do? The short answer is to start. The long answer is to find some inspiration. Go spend some time at the local school. Have coffee with a 90-year-old who went back to school, research the benefits and blessings of undertaking the venture, then make your own decisions.

Personal development

Perhaps you are operating in what I call the “plateau-zone”. Everything is comfortable, you know everything about what you do, but not everything about everything and don’t care to know anything else or explore any other options of what you could possibly do. I’d say the reason you need personal development is the fact that the world is moving on without you. Everyday there is a micro advancement in your environment. Everyday there is a better way of doing things which, needs you to learn something new and develop yourself. Every day, much as it may appear stable, the plateau-zone is depreciating. If you have read the book Who Moved My Cheese, then you know what I am talking about. Personal development is not really an option. It is a means of staying relevant in your apparently comfortable circumstances.

Leadership

Now everyone knows almost everything about leadership. And perhaps that is the problem. Leadership has more than 2000 known views, perspectives and definitions. So how do I know you are applying the “proper” leadership principles in your life to ensure you are better than the rest. Desiderata tells me that is a futile engagement, “There will always be those greater and lesser than yourself”. So what then should be your pinnacle leadership achievement in your circumstances? Hmm… I have already given you the answer. In other words, realize your full potential. Strive to be all you could ever be in your reality. Do your best to be the God-gift you are to this world and I will ask no more of your leadership.          

Preparing for a New Chief Executive in Kenya - 2022 Elections!

 

The day I reported for my new job at the factory, the CEO was fired. After waiting at the reception for several hours, I learned that the shareholding in the company had changed. As such my appointment was in limbo as my letter was to be signed by the CEO. None of the staff would give my letter to him. The executives at the factory were in a nail-biting state of suspense but, they were also responsible to keep the factory operational.  The people, the buildings and the factory procedures were not about to change anytime soon. In my view the only change a new CEO could possibly bring was a new philosophy.

At the demise of the Pharaoh in old Egypt the fate of his servants was sealed the day they took office. However, in the philosophical democratic of empires of Rome and Greece, the king’s courts were staffed with counsellors representing various interests. When a new King was appointed, counsellors had an intricate choice of allegiance to make. To continue serving in the court, they had three options; to protect the people from the king, to protect the king from the people or protect the people and the king.   

As Kenya awaits a new president, the nation sits in the waiting room, a little perplexed. Who is the new president and what changes will he bring? The tension in the public is palpable, with a great desire among the populace to have the whole matter over and done with. Nonetheless, officers in the administration are in a delicate state. A transition brings fresh perspectives and inspires new energy and allocation of resources in areas the president deems to be of priority. While the people may anticipate a new leadership philosophy, officers in the administration are faced with the same choices counsellors had to make in the king’s court in Rome and Greece. 

What the People of Kenya are Teaching the World about General Elections in 2022!

 

While the emotional aftermath of winning and losing in the 2022 political season is likely to go on for a period of time, Kenya is teaching the world four major lessons from the unfolding events of the General Elections. With a final voter turnout of 65% it is clear that every third registered voter did not cast their ballot. The result of the presidential elections was determined by two out of three eligible voters. The choice of two thirds of the voting block determined the destiny of the nation. Politicians around the world are usually blamed for many things, but the people of Kenya can only blame themselves for not coming out to vote. While the margin of victory between the winner and the loser of the presidential vote stands at less than 2%, if the third man, or woman, had cast their vote for one or other of the candidates, that candidate would have garnered a whopping, uncontestable 62% of the vote. Unfortunately, we will never know the veracity of that claim, because every third voter in Kenya did not turn up at the ballot box. Kenya is now a international case-study in Voter Apathy that has cost the country a decisive electoral victory. The results are bound to be disputed.   

Secondly, politics and leadership are not the same thing. Politics is about the will of the people. Leadership is about good governance. The will of the people has been known to obtain great victory in politics like electing Abraham Lincoln to the Oval office. But, it also petulantly ejected Britain’s war time hero, Winston Churchill from prime minister. But the will of the people is also credited with incorrigible instances such as voting for the release from prison of "Barabbas", a murderer, instead of a person with no criminal record in ancient Israel. When people yearn for leadership they aspire for socio-economic well-being and personal security. However, general elections do not always deliver that outcome. Where leadership and politics converge we get Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Ellen Sirleaf Johnson. Where the two diverge we get Hitler, Taylor, Apartheid and other forms of dictatorship. In the later circumstances there is an immediate call for a savior.

Third, tribalism leads to isolation. The use of the tribal card during elections is clearly reflected in voting patterns. Unfortunately, the election outcome has been directed by vested “tribal strongholds” touted by the political class long before election day. Whether this is good or bad for the country is a matter of debate, However, what is not in debate is the clear division and emergence of pockets of disenfranchised strongholds rather than the establishment of a broad based national consensus of winning candidates. The problem with the “tribalism of the vote” is that no one can change “parties”. In other words, a person from one community, by natures endowment, cannot change their perceived membership to another community party even if they so wished. This leads to imputed and assumed voter profiling based on ethnicity rather than an individuals political leaning. This automatically leads to ostracism, distrust among communities, sustained disenfranchisement among losers and exclusion from governance no matter what platitudes or word combinations are used to convince the people otherwise.

Fourth, civic responsibility is more than casting a vote. That vote needs to count for good governance, the conscientious wellbeing of the nation and its civilian work ethic. In other words, civic education needs to empower voters to consider what is good for the nation beyond what is gratifying to self. A citizens’ civic responsibility goes beyond self. Boy scouts and the disciplined forces have the right attitude with “service beyond self”. Civil responsibility, in the face of political leaning, can deal with the demise of corruption. But, this attitude need not be confined to the disciplined forces, it is an attitude that can transform the tunes of patriotic songs and dances into lived experiences of hope. Kenyans have a choice to make, but the world is certainly learning from us. As a nation under the fear of God, we could do well to learn from ourselves.

Allan Bukusi

Leadership consultant, lecturer & author 

His training has impacted thousands of employees from hundreds of organizations around Africa. His empowering books on leadership and personal development have transformed many lives across the continent.

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