It is time youth entered the fray and chose good leaders

Youth at a national students convention.

Youth at a national students convention.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

In many countries, the voting age is 18. That means that young people have been given all the rights that they have been yearning for. Or what more do they need than voting into office people of their choice? Once you do that, you have the fair representation that you’ve been yearning for.

By taking up the voter’s card, the youth have a role to play by interrogating the ethical values of all those whom we elect to leadership, people who can move our country to catch up with the world in terms of development and good governance.

The August 9 general election provides an opportunity for the youth to not vote in the same tired leadership we have been saddled with in the two levels of government. Not to vote for known thieves who have plundered our great institutions to their knees. Not to vote for pimps and quacks whose stock in trade is questionable. Not to vote for merchants of impunity and peddlers of corruption.

Not to vote for men and women who cannot express themselves in public forums. Not to vote for charlatans whose academic qualifications are either unknown or questionable. And not to vote for shadowy fellows with a deplorable background.

Given that close to 65 per cent of Kenya’s population is under 35, their optimism and energy gives them enormous potential to change the course of this country’s leadership. They must troop to the polling centres and cast their ballot on Election Day.

The youth must look at the character of the said leader(s) and the moral values they stand for and not the money or freebies and empty promises given by the candidates. Since the adult leadership has led us close to nowhere for the past 60 years, the youth need to prove that they, too, can lead—and lead better.

Our political history shows that we have men and women who are perpetually ‘youth’. They have been ‘youth leaders’ forever. For the past 30 or so years, they have pretended to talk for the youth.

Drive national agenda

The Constitution gives us the opportunity to put into political office men and women who can drive our national agenda every five years but we fail miserably and then blame them. We must arise, with the benefit of access to information through technology and with the benefit of exposure, rally together to interrogate the quality of people we need to propel to national political leadership.

Most of our leaders were young when they were elected into political offices. They had the vision of ridding the country of illiteracy, hunger, disease and corruption but failed miserably. But we lament lack of ethical leadership, yearn for leaders with integrity and those who promote good governance. Remember, these leaders never force themselves on us: We vote them into office with intent.

It’s time we elected leaders of known moral values; people with integrity, not leaders who keep whining. Let us critically cross-examine the candidates. We have the numbers. Let’s come out and vote.

Mr Ochula is a communications and governance expert. [email protected].