Political class owes Kenyans decorum
The just-concluded Kibra parliamentary by-election and subsequent high octane political activity has riveted enormous attention on the political class and their spiralling shenanigans.
True, politics has never been a clean game as such and has tended to elicit the worst behaviour engendered in our politicians over millennia. During the campaigns, there was plenty of talk about Kibra being some politician’s bedroom, and subsequent remarks did little to shift attention to what was obviously immoral talk.
Media reports were replete with images and utterances that went beyond the decent and bordered on the lewd, nevermind that children are on holiday and exposed to all the muck that politicians spew as they take on each other.
Equally worrying was the ugly spectre of violence that may not have reached previous proportions but was nevertheless there to be seen. There were reports that some city politician, a former MCA carted goons who held some rivals hostage in their cars on voting day. Indeed, the phrase used was that the villain and his henchmen “suspended peace.”
There were sad and vivid pictures of former senator Boni Khalwale armed to the teeth with rocks in case of any eventuality.
These images did little to prove that our democracy has evolved to any meaningful levels since we embraced multi-partyism in 1992. In short, there is no evidence that the political class has learned from past mistakes, or that the next General Election will, of necessity, be a decent undertaking.
Former United States President Ronald Reagan rightly said that politics is the second oldest profession and bears a striking resemblance to the first.
Of course, there is no clear reason why the political class should take it upon itself to go at each other hammer and tongs, with the rest of us cheering from the sidelines. It is regrettable and must be eschewed by all means. Politicians owe it to the people who give them power to ensure public morality is maintained at all costs.
The attempt to spice up public debate should not be at the expense of moral standards, decency and decorum. We should not get to the level where watching news on television makes parents squirm in their seats, not knowing how to explain slurs and epithets to the children present.
The leaders are setting a bad example to the younger generation and must stop. Pronto!
