Elites’ narrow vision will be Mt Kenya’s undoing

Raila Odinga

ODM party leader Raila Odinga with members of the Mount Kenya Foundation business and professional elites led by their Vice Chairman Titus Ibui during a luncheon at Safari Park Hotel on September 28, 2021. 

Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • In public spaces, the political elites in Kenya often take the front seats and demand to speak even when they have nothing to say.
  • The corrupted behaviour of our elites was shaped somehow by President Daniel Moi starting in the late 80s.

The political elites in Kenya have two things in common: a high sense of entitlement, and full of self-importance. To many of them, they deserve special treatment for who they are. Occupying a position of power, alone, is enough reason for Kenyans to treat them deservingly. They are full of self-importance. In public spaces they take the front seats and demand to speak even when they have nothing to say.

The economic elites are not different. In fact, the nouveau riche, who have acquired their status by looting public resources, do not only behave like these political elites, but also become politicians. In the constituencies and wards, anyone who makes some little money through corruption begins by making an announcement that he will run for parliamentary or county assembly seat. These elective posts, therefore, are won by people who want to promote their individual interests at the expense of delivering for the public.

But this behaviour of Kenya’s political and economic elites has a recent history. From the 60s to 80s, service to the community was key. Many leaders vied for elective posts because they had a drive to serve. Economic elites also did not steal public resources and then hide in politics. Some stole money and attempted to run for office but were stigmatised and ostracised by their communities. They were villains.

Corrupted behaviour

The corrupted behaviour of our elites was shaped somehow by President Daniel Moi starting in the late 80s when he began to create his own elites, specifically Kalenjin elites, to undermine the Kikuyu and Luo elites who were opposed to his leadership. 

He created many political and economic elites using Asian businessmen in the hope that his elites would learn something about business and the economy. They did not gain this knowledge. This is a story for another day.

It bears mentioning that Kenyan political and economic elites are one and the same. They are conjoined by money and political power. It is this conjoining of money and politics that gives the elites a sense of entitlement and self-importance, which prevents them from developing a better picture of the future of the country. 

They tend to have a short-term vision of the country. They do not see beyond their businesses and power. Neither do they read the signs of the times to understand the society in which they operate.

The Mt Kenya political and economic elites are some of those who are not reading the signs of changing times. Unlike the past when they were important because of connecting their wealth to politics, things have changed. Technological innovations and globalisation have combined to make the world of business a different place. You cannot succeed without thinking broadly and thinking about many years ahead.

Short-sighted

Some of these Mt Kenya elites think that what is good for them and their region is good for Kenya. This is not true. What is good for them is not necessarily good for other elites and their regions. But what is good for Kenya is good for them too. This is a general truth that they do not seem to acknowledge.

They had better build a picture of a future Kenya in which they will have no influence or power to control politics. They had better help build a picture of a country governed by rules that promote meritocracy in all aspects of life. The Mt Kenya region will be the loser if left to the wild rules of the game that the elites are used to. 

Building a society governed by democratic rules, adherence to the rule of law, and promotion and protection of democratic principles is what they should be aiming for.

Unfortunately, the Mt Kenya elites are short-sighted. They do not think about a Kenya even 20 years from now. Their vision is always focused on the tenure of a president minus the election year.

Their view of competitive electoral politics is laughable. They have been campaigning to embed the “one man, one vote, one shilling” rule in revenue sharing and establishing constituencies. They do so without the knowledge that their region’s population growth rate is on the decline. 

In the next 10 years, the Mt Kenya share of the national population will be ranked second or even third. In around 20 years time, if per capita incomes and education levels continue to increase in their region, Mt Kenya will be ranked about third or fourth in terms of population size and voter figures.

Clearly, the one man, one vote, one shilling will hurt them, but they lack the farsightedness to realise this. What they should be campaigning for is merit, and deepening of democracy in Kenya.

These dynamics should compel the Mt Kenya elites to think more about a better Kenya and stop restricting their attention to their region. 

Presidential candidates

In fact, given their influence, these elites should be insisting that no part of this country should be developed more than the other. They should ensure the rule that no community or part of Kenya gets more “development” than others using public funds is made legal and effectively enforced. 

Instead, the Mt Kenya elites are pre-occupied with who should be the running mate of any of the 2022 presidential candidates. They are even not sure whether they should have one of their own running for office. They are doing all this because they do not fully understand that their own societies are changing. 

The presidential candidates from the region are not any better than these elites. Some of them are doing so to catch the attention of other presidential candidates so that they get appointed to senior positions. It is a bargain game they are playing. But there are others who lack a sense of clarity on why they want to run.

Anyone running for the presidency would know that voters want a government that will implement policies to generate jobs and improve food security. How to create jobs is not rocket science. It is about enabling policies for investment, including enticing foreign direct investments. It is about enabling small enterprises to thrive by removing the laws that constrain their operations.

Above everything, this cannot be obtained without strengthening governance institutions and the rule of law so that Kenyans see themselves as equal in law. It is about promoting a culture in which there is painful punishment or consequences for breaching laws.

These elites and candidates have the influence and opportunity to make things better for all. It is time they begin to think and act as if they are living in a society where they have neither power nor wealth to control politics. 

In such a society, only good institutions and enforcement of laws would work for everyone. Merit, integrity and laws would be the foundation for such a society. Everyone would thrive without dependence on political considerations, influence or positions in society. 

The earlier the region starts arguing for a better Kenya, the better for it. 

The writer is based at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Nairobi: [email protected]; @karutikk