Good Leadership:Kenya's Solution

Our Country seems to be having a myriad of problems,from poor planning, poor management,lack of respect for one another, poor communication to lack of honesty.
Good leaders are those who lead by example,bearing in mind that example is not the main thing in influencing others;it is the ONLY thing.They also know that they cannot lead their followers any further than they have gone themselves,therefore they are more careful and concerned with every action or deed.Good leaders will also focus on creating more leaders,not followers.They are also traders;they trade hope.


Bad leadership is what is causing us all this trouble;it is not about our economy being shattered,not about the Kenyan shilling losing value.It is all about our value system.Thesaurus dictionary defines value system as "the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group.


Most of these values are traditionally adopted from families,social institutions or from communities we grow in.

The most fundamental source of values is a family.When I was growing up,i'd see plaques on wall in homes that really emphasized the importance of values.One of the most famous was ' Christ is the Head of this House,the unseen guest at every meal,the silent listener to every conversation" and "The family that prays together stays together".
I dared not lie to my parents since I knew the silent listener was listening and He would punish me.I also recall how I would never eat before all members of my family had had their plate or to made share the little that was available.This,my parents said,meant that life was not all about 'my needs';other people's needs mattered too.

As Kenyans ponder about the answer to their problems,it is important to seek the root cause of the problems.While we can attribute the rise of the cost of living to poor economy management,we cannot peg crime,dishonesty,disrespect etc to it .
Where did we go wrong?


Family Unit

The values that are instilled in a family setup are likely to be observed in the kind of society we build.With the marriage institution long dead in Kenya,we are facing a crisis.How many single moms and dads do we have today,some by choice and others by fate?Lack of commitment in relationships,selfishness and self centeredness,mistrust,lack of truth and intergrity,poor communication to name but a few are the virtues that our society seems to have adopted from families.Our leaders are not doing anything better;how best do you explain a situation where two leaders cannot solve their differences,and even fail to shake hands in public?And these are our role models?our icons?What about those leaders who call each other names in public or say unpleasant words when children are listening and watching?Those who  display irresponsibility and dishonesty?
This is why we need to concentrate on reviving our family systems and focus on leaders who are  good role models and good examples.


Desperation

If we are banking on  the family unit to salvage our country,we have to work towards changing the anti-family attitude our young people have adopted.Many a young woman are heard expressing their wish to have babies without fathers.It is not uncommon to hear a young,successful career urban woman saying,'Now that men have become dogs,i only want to get a baby and settle down'.This is what i call 'trophy babies',and i wonder why a person who was brought up in an ideal family of mother and father would be thinking while subjecting their children to such harsh realities.


The ideal Leader
What Kenya needs is a role model for a leader,since as Aristotle put it,'One who  never learned to obey cannot become a  good commander'.We need a Leader who portrays good leadership from family level,since charity begins from home.We need a leader who has respect for the family unit;this way we can be assured of a restoration of family importance.


Obama's Family

He must have made news for being the first black American President,but he also has won a lot of admiration for his strong family commitment.I am sure i am not the only woman who feels a tinge of jealousy when this couple appears in public,holding hands,kissing and communicating as if they were alone in the whole world.We cannot miss the perfect image of a perfect family they make with their two beautiful daughters and their lovely puppy.This humble couple is an envy to many.
Perhaps Kenya needs a youthful and committed leader as Obama;one with a career wife and children.This will help to change the bad image of love and relationship.Perhaps when young ladies who have given up on love see  this Leader holding his wife's hands,kissing and communicating in public,they will have some love stirred in them,and want to have their own love.Perhaps Kenyans will understand the importance of healthy relationships that make life more interesting.Perhaps our professional women will understand that they can have families and still stay in their careers.Perhaps our men will  start appreciating,respecting and loving their women.Perhaps we will soon be moving to the 
positive directions.