Opinion Season is firmly with us…….
We all know that opinions are the cheapest commodity on earth. Everybody has one. So, why not give my own opinion?
Its common knowledge that as a country, we are in love with politics. We eat, breathe, drink politics and if we could, anything in between would definitely be an option for us. We have all been turned to political pundits, to our peril. These days, there is nothing like small talk. After the usual pleasantries after saying hello to someone, the next question almost always is: “Unaona nani akipata kiti August 8th”….and depending on where you are, the conversation will steer towards who is the front runner for what seat and who isn’t.
For us in Taita Taveta, it’s no different. The conversation of who will unseat the Incumbent is now a belabored and almost nauseating one. Since 2014, barely a year after the current County Government took office; word on the street was that the current Wundanyi MP is already rubbing his hands gleefully, eagerly anticipating dethroning the Governor come 2017. Brandishing fierce sounding words like “mediocre” while referring to the current crop of County employees and “lack of experience” when poking at the Governor, his juggernaut caught steam, only to fade away after a few months.
Social media wasn’t left out either. Several WhatsApp groups, ostensibly formed to update the county bourgeoisie on the going ons within the county turned into something akin to a noisy marketplace: They became platforms for mud-slinging anyone you did not have the same opinion with while attempting to prop up your chosen messiah.
Currently, several gubernatorial aspirants have already lined themselves up to take part in the August elections. Some still have the headache of nominations to think about while others have the luxury to campaign to the last moment since they have the confidence of featuring in the polls. One common thread amongst all these hopefuls is their pledge to wananchi that they will do things better than what the Current Government has managed to do over the last 4 years.
That’s a good thing right there. The fact remains that the County Government has made some substantial gains over the last four years. The fact remains that Devolution is working and has come to the rescue of most wananchi on the ground. The fact remains that all gubernatorial aspirants already have an example to work with when they speak of the development they will bring to the County, because they can see it. The narrative most commonly peddled on social media, mainly by myopic riff raffs who sing from the rooftops that the County has done nothing is a terribly false one, borne out of envy and deceit to themselves.
The people of Taita Taveta will ultimately decide who will be their next Governor through their votes. Not by how many likes you get on your political campaign portrait on Facebook and definitely not by winning a bogus poll (read Straw poll) that was a hit a few weeks ago.
The conversation we should be keen on having as County Folk should be more productive than what we are currently having. All aspirants should be subjected to state clearly what they intend to achieve over the next 5 years. The incumbent has done a lot since 2013, a fact that every well-meaning county citizen will attest to. The fact that he is ready and willing to finish the job for the remaining 5 years is not lost to all of us. That’s why you should sit down, reflect and realize that the safest pair of hands to entrust our County is with a proven leader, our current Governor.
I’m for Proven Leadership. I’m for John Mruttu.
Mwatate sub county 