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Kenya’s Leadership Circus: Where the Clowns Rule the Show As Animal Farm Has Nothing On Them

BY Steve Biko Wafula · February 13, 2024 07:02 pm

In Kenya, leadership is not just a matter of public service; it’s an art form, a performance, where the most talented in the dark arts of thievery, deception, and all manner of skullduggery rise to the top. Welcome to the Kenya Leadership Circus, where clowns don’t juggle balls—they juggle billions, and the tightrope walkers don’t fear heights, but the depths of their incompetence.

The ringmasters of this circus, our esteemed leaders, have turned governance into a grand magic show, where funds disappear with a flick of the wrist and promise to vanish into thin air. To be appointed to an office in this land, one must not simply possess skills or qualifications; oh no, that’s old school. Here, you need a rap sheet that dazzles and horrifies: theft on a grand scale, a touch of violence, perhaps even a scandal or two. It’s not about what you can build, but what you can steal; not about who you can help, but who you can trample.

Integrity and competence, those once cherished values, are now relics of the past, gathering dust in the forgotten corners of public offices. In their place, a new breed of leader has emerged, born not of merit but of entitlement—entitlement fueled by theft, nurtured by nepotism, and crowned by sheer, unabashed incompetence. These are the leaders who look at George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” and think, “Amateurs.”

Read Also: In the Kingdom of Lies, The Truth Becomes the Enemy: A Serious Look At Leadership Gone Astray In Kenya

Family values? A quaint concept, indeed, tossed aside like yesterday’s newspaper in the pursuit of power and wealth. It seems our leaders have confused ‘serving the public’ with ‘serving themselves to the public coffers.’ They ride into office not on the votes of the hopeful, but on the backs of the disenfranchised, wielding not plans for progress but blueprints for plunder.

Yet, dear Kenyans, all is not lost. This circus can be brought to an end, but it requires more from us than mere spectatorship. It demands action, vigilance, and the courage to demand more from those who seek to lead. It requires casting votes not as tokens of blind allegiance but as bullets of change, aimed squarely at the heart of corruption and incompetence. We must educate ourselves, hold our leaders accountable, and remember that in a democracy, the true power rests not in the hands of the clowns in the spotlight, but in the audience who decides whether the show goes on.

So let us rise, Kenyans, from our seats. Let us turn the lights on in this dark circus, chase the clowns out of the ring, and reclaim the stage for a performance of our own making—one rooted in integrity, competence, and true service to the nation. Let’s make our leadership a no-joke zone, where the only performances we applaud are those of genuine progress and development.

Remember, the circus only continues if we keep buying the tickets. It’s time to change the show.

Read Also: Navigating Through The Ineptitude Storm: Charting A Course For Proper Accountable Leadership In Kenya

Steve Biko is the CEO OF Soko Directory and the founder of Hidalgo Group of Companies. Steve is currently developing his career in law, finance, entrepreneurship and digital consultancy; and has been implementing consultancy assignments for client organizations comprising of trainings besides capacity building in entrepreneurial matters.He can be reached on: +254 20 510 1124 or Email: info@sokodirectory.com

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