Internet is a digital public square – use it

It’s election season: the air is thick with politics. Politicians are out with their silver tongues promising plenty of goodies should they be elected. Voters must do their due diligence before casting their ballot.

Rather than being passive bystanders, we have the tools, the forum and a voice. Today, we have technology tools that our grandparents did not have. Let's make use of them.

There is something strange about Kenya's elections. They rarely bring out the best in our society. We usually elect the worst candidates. It's not about the politicians; it's about us, the electorate.

Often, when faced with two options, one with a better governance record and another with a tainted one, we often select the tainted one for inexplicable reasons. It defies logic and reason, but many examples prove it.

Same mistakes

With questionable leaders, things start going wrong soon after the elections, and the voters rant and rave. Our misery continues until the next election cycle, and we repeat the same mistakes without learning from the past.

But it doesn't have to be the same this time around. The internet is a global public square. Here, millions of us meet daily. Social media platforms are the largest political rallies. Everyone at these digitally hosted rallies can speak their mind fearlessly – and it costs nearly nothing to attend. It's secure, too, so you don't have to edit or censure your thoughts.

 By using digital forums, we can influence and persuade each other, but only if we are open-minded. We can advocate for the best ideas to transform Kenya and support candidates who can bring those ideas to fruition – regardless of the political parties that sponsor them.

Corrupt

Every chief has a tribe. If the wrong people are put in office, they will attract and enlist others who share their beliefs. If they are corrupt, they will entrench the corruption cancer. If they are incompetent, incompetence will be normalised. If they are tribal, tribalism will be patented.

Election time is not the time to give the benefit of the doubt. Every person seeking an elective position comes with a track record. We should vote based on the track record, not the assumption that the office will sanitise them. As Michelle Obama likes to say, “The office doesn't change a man; it reveals him."

And you don't have to stick to the same political party up and down the ballot. Good people, even from different political persuasions, are like different sources of light; they all give the same light.

Let's cut through the fog of lies and unattainable promises. Let's put the leaders on a scale, measure their words, and weigh their track records. Use social media to persuade others who may be "in the dark" and try to show them the light. We have the tools, platforms, and a voice.

Mr Wambugu is an Informatician. [email protected] @Samwambugu2