By Steve Mark Misori from Kenya
AFRICAN leadership continues to mock, demean and embarrass the voters who queue and brave the morning cold and the scorching sun to cast their votes for need of effective and efficient service delivery.
These aspirants turned leaders come as angels and saints and once they have secured their political lifeline do not shy away from defiling the principle of democracy and by extension rape the tenets of Justice. Africa is today infested with leaders who know nothing about African values.
African values entail humanity, kindness, justice, hospitality and humility. It is shocking that today we have leaders who have forgotten the plight of the citizens. Poverty has taken toll across Africa and high cost of living is on the loose. As if not enough, injustice and tribalism have taken charge of our villages and town set ups even as it remains apparent that everyone looks forward to a more inclusive future.
None of the leaders is sensitive anymore and they have perfected the art of ‘my own.’ The ‘my own’ scare is regrettably heavily rooted in African governments that the voter is either left in shock or shame. For how long will Africans continue with the business of electing corrupt, insensitive and ill-intentioned individuals? Just who holds the key to moral integrity? Will integrity stand for future generations if the leaders of today maim it at will?
Africa is one and the same. It has a common financial denominator better referred to as theft of public funds and lust for power. The public funds are intended to be spent in pulling out the citizens from the mud of poverty, the chains of hunger, the troubles of disease and the fears of ignorance. Kenya offers a template for this trend in leadership. Leaders have looted from public coffers and through greed and anxiety wired the same into offshore accounts. The impact is so huge to the youth and women that everyone is left wondering whether they elected leaders who are readers or leaders who are dealers.
And so this August, when Kenyans queue to vote, they will not only be exercising their democratic right but also determining their political and economic right. Responsible citizens exercise their democratic rights to better their future and that of their kins. These little bits of good put together overwhelm not only communities and counties but also countries.
