Today We Must Question!

Courtesy of The Star

The end of an era has arrived. New wineskins to replace the old wineskins Our galleries are about to be filled with beautiful posters of serious men and women who seek to take over the mantle. With the language of poets, they will sing their promises each day and night. So sweet will be their promises that we will forget their natural characters. Project after project, party after party, alcohol everywhere—all to woo us, the voters. But before we are consumed by the forthcoming campaigns, how about we reflect on your past vote? Let us inquire and evaluate. Did that vote mean anything to you? What has changed in your life since then?

The promises were as sweet as liquor. The aspiring leaders, clothed with the confidence of comrades marching to a demonstration, sang to us their manifestos. Debates, arguments, discussions, and conversations in our class groups made their manifestos clear. It was crystal clear that you were convinced that the leader you were voting for would implement them. It is a year down the line. The question is simple. Did the beautifully dressed aspiring leaders then fulfill their promises to you?

Well, what about the projects that they were doing during the campaigns—were they still done during their term? How about their presence—did they fade away after their victory or loss? Did they speak about the issues that they considered problems during the campaigns? Did they become so engrossed in the newfound activities that they forgot about the people who elected them? Today, we must question!

And how about you, our leader, did you meet your goals? Are you confident enough to stand before us as we evaluate your manifesto in relation to the work we can see on the ground? Or rather, let us not speak about the manifestos. Perhaps there were vifaranga vya kompyuta and other reasons why you were unable to keep your promises. True, a promise is a debt, but truth be told, debts are not always fully paid. There must have been good reasons why you never paid off the debt completely. But did you talk to your electorate and explain? We are all humans; we understand.

Our leader, did you find a gold mine in those offices and forget about the people who put you there? Are you a leader who forged receipts and exaggerated event and tender prices in order to steal money from the school? What did you do that had such an impact on the lives of just one electorate? Today, we must question!

It is another time to cast your vote. Lies will be brandished, parties will be there, and you will have many visitors in your room and Direct Messages. This is likely to be the time when you receive the most calls, and not from your boyfriend or lovely girlfriend. The major question is: will you accept being lied to? Will your vote be bought with alcohol or food from the politician? Do you actually know the roles of the people you will be voting for, or is voting just a mere procedure that is done each academic year? Take your time and question. The question is whether the person you want can really deliver, or even whether the dreams he or she is selling you are viable. You will continue suffering in pain until you get tired of receiving the same treatment. The same problems you had last year will recur next year—and next year but one.

If you are waiting for kitu kidogo from that politician or if you vote for him or her just because the person is your friend, then you are the author of your own misfortune. Take your time and reflect. Read and understand the roles of the leaders you will be voting for. The question is whether the characters who approach you are capable of delivering. Only and only after critical evaluation should you make a decision. Let them not lie to you and tell you that the people you choose cannot make a difference. Do not let your mind convince you that the leader's hands are tied. It is all a lie. A budget is allocated to the student leaders. How has it impacted your life? How will it impact your life?

Just before we rant about the national government and other politicians outside our schools, let us reflect on how we mirror their behavior in our schools. Let us evaluate the situation at hand. We are the leaders of tomorrow, they said, but how do we expect to end up at a different destination if we follow in the same footsteps? Before bringing forth our indignation to rant about the speck in our government’s eye, how about we start by taking out the plank in ours? I finish with a quote to students from Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah:

"I have no desire to belittle your role in putting this nation finally on the road to self-redemption. But you cannot do that unless you first set about to purge yourselves, to clean up your act. You must learn, for a start, to hold your own student leaders to responsible performance; only after you have done that can you have the moral authority to lecture the national leadership. You must develop a habit of skepticism; do not swallow every piece of superstition you are told by witch doctors and professors. I see too much parroting and regurgitating of half-digested radical rhetoric: "When you have rid yourselves of these things, your potential for assisting and directing this nation will be quadrupled."

It cannot be denied that lies are sweeter than truths. It is also true that we should carry our brains wherever we go. This time around, let us remember not to pocket our minds. Put it in the right place and use it. Let us question, evaluate, reflect, and decide.

Today, we must question!

Muthoni Lawrence Kariuki

Production Editor at the UNLJ