The Crush of Sonkoism.
Leadership is all about influence, its the ability of an individual to show his people what direction to follow wherever they need guidance. A leader must be emulated by his followers and in most cases he acts as a role model to a majority of the young upcoming leaders. The 24 years of Moi's regime entrenched into Kenyans a culture of kleptocracy, patronage, incompetence in civil service and lots of mediocrity in our country. This is a culture that we have to deal with, 17 years since Moi left the seat of power. Leadership is all what dictates the prosperity or failure of a nation.
Mike Sonko was elected as a member of parliament for Makadara Constituency in 2010 in a by-election. The little known but flashy, flamboyant and monied individual mesmerized and won the hearts of the poverty stricken voters. The name "Sonko" meaning; "he who has money" is enough to win the hearts of our gullible voters. Sonko immediately embarked in a program of handouts, it is said of how he would walk into the slums dishing wads of notes to people who can barely afford a meal in a day. It is good and commendable to be generous, but leadership isn't about handouts. A leader must show his people how to create wealth, he must formulate policies that provide a conducive atmosphere for doing business in the country or region. Mike Sonko just like many other leaders went for the short cut: "give out handouts and you own the masses". Sonko pushed it to the next level and founded the Sonko Rescue outfit. An outfit that was indeed running a parallel government in terms of providing services to the people. This entrenched Sonkoism to our people.
Sonkoism means the ability to have lots of money, lead a flashy life, dish handouts to every Tom, Dick and Harry, be careless in your talk, and enjoy the government's ear. It is only Sonko who could move around "sleeping" on the roads, punching walls and he had the privilege to call the president and put him on speaker phone. It is only Sonko who could move around insulting government senior officers, use all forms of vulgar language and record phone conversations. The key attribute about Sonko is that no one can put a finger to the source of his exaggerated wealth, that is what we call Sonkoism. Through Sonko lots of our youth believe that its is possible to be reckless, rough, careless, mediocre, escape from the prison and still be successful in life. Sonkoism is a cult that will take a long time to exterminate from our generations. It will cost this country a lot, and it is a breeding zone for future criminals and maladjusted leaders.
The impeachment of Mike Mbuvi Sonko, even though it had lots of political connotation, it is a blessing to the future of this country. Sonkoism is a disaster to the future of this country. Our people must understand that people must work diligently, they must be competent and they should be decent. Prosperity dictates integrity, honesty and lots of decorum. Our youth requires proper leadership and it can only emanate from quality leadership, the culture of tokenism and unnecessary patronage should be discouraged by all means. Leaders should be elected only on the account of their intellectual capital and their ability to articulate policies that are beneficial to the population. Sonkoism is an abomination and a panacea to the future generations.
Ndungata Ya Masii.
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