Kenyans have often been described as a people with peculiar habits and there is no better example than the peculiar relationship between politicians and the electorate.
Despite its relatively young democracy and small population, Kenya has one of the most robust political environments in the world.
In this article, Kenyans.co.ke will explain four peculiar psychological tricks that politicians play on Kenyans to capture or retain power.
Never walk alone
For you to be a respected Kenyan politician, you can never walk alone. In the same veil, the quickest way to become a failed Kenyan politician is to be a lone ranger. Political luminaries show their political muscle by their ability to gather crowds by whatever means necessary.
Whether you pay them, lure them with music or food, you must always be ready to gather a crowd. Whenever Kenyan politicians wish to make a major political statement, they rarely do it in press conferences as their counterparts around their world.
Each major political player has a constituency where they retreat with their supporters and make the most charged statements.
For ODM Leader Raila Odinga, the most common point of reference when making a major statement is usually in Kibra - usually under huge grounds. President Uhuru Kenyatta often made major political speeches in Githurai but has recently opted for delegations at the Sagana State Lodge where he often hosts opinion leaders from the Mt Kenya region.
Deputy President William Ruto is a generous host at his official residence at Karen and at his rural home in Sugoi.
For the less financially able politicians, funerals, weddings, harambees, football matches are must-go events and are meant to demonstrate support and resonance with wananchi.
Court Attention at all Costs
Of the 48 laws of power recommended by Robert Greene in his classic book, none appears to have been more successful among Kenyan politicians than the sixth law which reads in part;
“Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colourful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.”
Kenyan politicians have mastered the art of getting attention and often go to outrageous lengths.
Take for example, former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko - who amassed the third-largest number of votes in the 2017 General Election. Sonko has risen through the political ranks by courting controversy and ensuring the voter’s attention never deserts him.
From punching walls, to driving big cars, displaying guns, weird hair styles, and publicity stunts that make news around the world, Sonko has had it all.
Courting attention in Kenyan politics is not limited to positive attributes, it sometimes requires doing negative stunts that will earn you a feature on prime time news or an interview to “explain your behaviour”.
This is why it is not uncommon for politicians to engage in public physical fights while remaining friends in private.
Others will excite the masses with talks of getting a second wife from every village they visit while remaining happily married to their spouses who live in the leafy Nairobi suburbs.
The sum of it all is that the worst mistake you can make in Kenyan politics is to be boring and unnoticeable.
Us vs Them
While political rivalry is present in all systems, politicians in Kenya take it a notch higher by invoking the 'tribe' card where even legitimate criminal prosecutions are labelled as an 'attack on our community.' This rallying call has often led to chaos and, in highly contested elections, violence. The general problem is not unique to Kenya as most third world countries suffer the same problem.
In his book, The Bottom Billion, Paul Collier, writes that most poor countries suffer the challenge of patronage politics which attracts crooks and discourages men and women of strong character.
Nearly all competitive electoral contests in Kenya have been marred with chaos and physical violence - making it the most problematic feature of Kenyan politics.
In this regard, politicians often recruit small militias or criminal organisations such as Jeshi la Mzee, Mungiki, Chinkororo, and many others to defend their interests and sabotage their opponents.
Those in power often rely on the police to further their political agenda by cracking down on the opposition and their supporters with teargas, and in extreme cases bullets.
This has given rise to unfortunate political assassinations where political feuds have resulted in deaths of tens of patriotic Kenyans. It has also created the culture of pre and post-election violence - the worst incident being the 2007/8 crisis that left at least 1,300 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Handouts & Obsession with money
Kenyan politics is an expensive affair. In fact, it has often been described as being one of the most expensive in the world. This is mainly because of a culture of political handouts which stretches down the entire spectrum.
The voter supports a given MCA not based on policies or character, but because they have been given some money and this goes to as low as Ksh 50.
The MCA in turn votes and lobbies for projects from businesses that are willing to hand him some money to recoup the “investment” made during the election. This is upscaled to the parliamentary, gubernatorial and even in the presidential elections.
The culture is so deeply embedded that many do not see it as a problem. In 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta gave the example of the Kibra by-election where he enquired from a resident if the elections were peaceful.
The voter told him that the process had been peaceful but had sought the President to extend the campaign time because “money was being generously poured”.
Members of Parliament have in the past come out to expose one another about receiving handouts at the homes of major political players and in some cases, being bribed in the toilets of Parliament buildings to pass laws that favoured the powerful and placed a burden on taxpayers.
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