Why PK has my Vote.
It is so disheartening that for the
third time in six years, MO Ibrahim Foundation has withheld its Leadership
Award for lack of a suitable candidate.
The brainchild of this initiative is
Sudanese born British mobile communications entrepreneur and billionaire. He is
the founder of Celtel, which at the time of selling, had over 24 million mobile
phone subscribers in 14 African countries.
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| Mo Ibrahim |
Since its establishment in
2007,only three former African leaders have won;Joaqim Chissano,former
president of Mozambique in 2005,Festus Mogae,former president of Botswana in
2008 and former Cape Verde President,Pedro Pires in 2011.
Now, one would wonder why this award,
the most valuable in the world, wouldn’t act as an incentive to African leaders
for improvement. Could corruption, which is what ails Africa, be of higher
value than this award?
As Mo continues to wait to find a
worthy leader for the Leadership Award, I am quite pessimistic that this will not
happen any sooner, given the leaders we have and those we may have in future.
Take our country for example.
In less than five months, Kenya
will elect her 4th President in what is expected to be a milestone after the
passing of the new constitution in 2010.Many Kenya’s are hopeful that next
year's election will be free and fair, and that political participation will
improve tremendously.
Today as I watched Peter Kenneth
launch his Presidential bid, I couldn't help but wonder whether this is our own
Obama. Accompanied by his beautiful family, endorsed by his courageous, eloquent
19 year old son and by his boss in the Planning Ministry, Hon.Oparanya,PK was audacious,
so energetic and vibrant. He did not
even need a teleprompter! I couldn't believe this is the man who has been
dubbed by those who don't believe in his policies as 'un-popular'.
Not only did he identify four key
sectors that he would focus on to change the lives of Kenyans (Manufacturing,Agriculture,Tourism
and IT),but also promised to ensure that the new constitution has been fully implemented,
judiciary reforms accelerated amongst others.
As you’d expect, his speech has
caused a lot of excitement on social media, and almost everyone is speaking
about him now. But one notable thing with Kenyans is that we have the memory of
a goldfish; we forget so quickly. We will soon forget what he said and
continue swaying alongside tribal waves, even as we know that this is what has
been ailing our country.
Going by his slogan,Tunaesmake,its clear that he is seeking
the youth vote(just as the other candidates are doing).I must say, watching him
shake a leggy to Jua Cali’s Mimi ni baba
yao,shows just how energetic this guy is, a good indicator of how he will
tackle problems, should he be given a chance.
Now that as many are promising to
give him their vote, let me put down five reasons why I will give my vote to this
guy.I do not care if it gets lost when I do so, but I do care to give Peter
Kenneth a chance to lead Kenya; I will give him my vote for the sake of Kenya,
for my own sake, for the sake of my children, and for the sake of future Kenyan
generations.
Family Values; It is undisputable
that a man who is loyal to his wife, is devoted to his children and family and upholds
family values is an ideal candidate. This is based on the foundation of the
faith and experiences of the person. Though it was the first time that PK was
exposing his family, going by his son's speech, I can tell he is a dedicated
husband and father. Not only would this be beneficial to a President since he
needs an image, but it could do good to our poor Kenyan man image.PK will, if elected,
be a great role model family man.
Intergrity;One trait that makes a great
leader is his courage to do what is best for all and his ability to
remain consistent with his values while doing so, never compromising them for
personal gain.PK has repeatedly assured that he is not going to compromise his
values by joining non-reformers, and that he is not joining any political
alliance .At first I thought this was selfish of him, but I now know that he is
right; he knows those seeking alliances so well sand knows that if it walks like a duck, looks like
a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is probably a duck.
Decision Maker; Going by his track
record in his Gatanga constituency, I am assured that PK is a man who can be
able to make right and informed decisions, even while being surrounded by
people who do not share or agree with his views. During his speech, Hon
Minister Wyclif Oparanya described him as ambitious disciplined, committed
to his work and non-tribal. Oparanya being PK's boss therefore proves to us
that PK believes in team work and consults with those in his team.
Confidence; Decision making calls for strong self-confidence. With Kenya being in a state of stagnated growth, we need a President who is bold enough to
inspire confidence in people so as to overcome challenges and move towards
achieving Vision 2030. Even though Kenya has vast
human and natural resources, there are
impediments that make us lag behind.
These includes poor infrastructure, human rights, rule of law,development,personal
safety,welfare,health,education policies and lack full participation in political processes. Such decisions can only be made by a leader
who believes in good governance and is accountable; PK has proved his accountability in Gatanga Constituency
Achievement/goal oriented;PK has great ambitions for this country,
and this comes from his personal experience. When I look at him, I see a man
without an ego, one who is not afraid to be surrounded by brilliant minds and a
great listener. This means he is open minded; willing to learn new things and
take advice. I know he is where he is today, not because of luck, but through
hard work and determination. What about his background? Having overcome the
challenges in life, having been raised by a single mother in a modest eastern
estate (Bahati), PK has proven that when we have the will, we can beat all odds
and rise to the highest. He wasn’t born on a silver platter and doesn’t ride on
anyone’s glory. He has, as Shakespeare would put it, achieved greatness. He is
what we call a real Kenyan dream model.
As Election Day approaches, I can only hope that Kenyans will for the
first time vote for change, and for the first time come out of their tribal cocoons.
That they will prove that they care so much about our country rather than for
some few individuals who are experts in making empty promises, that they will
vote for leaders who are not tied by a sense of self-entitlement, leaders who
are not afraid to rise, not for their personal gain but for the problems of
common mwananchi.It is time for a responsible and accountable leader, one who
can assure an excellent leadership, which will in turn, pay the hard work that
Mo Ibrahim has been doing; telling the truth about Africa and making the world
believe in her.
One such leader is, for me, none other than Peter Kenneth.
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