The communication angle during Cabinet Unveiling: Why UhuruRuto were in matching outfits and more!

Nicodemus Minde, Nairobi

Tuesday 23, April, 2013. Late Tuesday, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta named four out of the 18 members of his Cabinet. Flanked by his Deputy, William Ruto, the President read out the profiles of the four nominees to his cabinet. Going against primordial tendencies which characterized former administrations, President Kenyatta in a calculative manner set out the unveiling of the cabinet at the entrance of State House, a more media friendly area. The occasion and setting was reminiscent of that of White House in United States. Further, the President read out the list of the nominees with their profiles coming at the interlude of each proposed name. This is indeed a modern culture which, pursuant to their election manifesto,echoes the spirit of a digital revolution in Kenya. With State House Kenya having its on twitter handle (@StateHouseKenya) and Facebook link which keeps the people abreast with matters of the State, the Curriculum Vitae of the nominees were also quickly uploaded in the document sharing website Scribd. This is indeed a digital revolution on the part of the Jubilee team. 

Picture courtesy of Daily Nation

The President and his Deputy were also in matching white shirts and red ties. By them wearing shirts without the coats/jackets, it signifies their readiness and commitment to the arduous work ahead. Similar to President Obama's roll-up of his shirt's sleeves, the two decided to abandon their coats and show they are prepared for the task at hand. It is also noteworthy that the two matching in their dressing. This again shows their commitment to working together despite the incessant giggles and parleys of them not agreeing on the cabinet list. 

The President also took questions from the media, a practice not so common with previous administrations. To show unity again, Uhuru Kenyatta asked his Deputy William Ruto to take the other questions and clarify on a number of issues. That is called working in tandem and the relationship is becoming telepathic. William Ruto backed his boss when responding to the questions and further clarified on the East African Community docket. In another symbolic act, the President invited the journalists for a cup of tea inside State House. Though the welcome gesture was just out of courteousness, it shows the friendly side of the two. People will say the two are in the honeymoon phase of their leadership, but as the Swahili saying goes, "siku njema huonekana asubuhi."  

Political and Election Processes are about you!

Nicodemus Minde

Politics is critical ingredient of human society. Politics is the embodiment of human civilization and social progress. A polity can be a small association of human society such as the nuclear family, the extended family, the church, the workers unions and so on. Politics starts from such small associations to larger national politics. Political Science is the discipline that studies the nature of politics, the origins of political and human civilizations, political systems, and constitutional orders and so on. Political processes have been known world over as beacons for democratic transitions, constitutionalism, and the observance of the rule of law. But politics and political processes do more than steering the polity to ideals of good governance and democracy. 

A political process which is a lifelong exercise is a constant reminder to what has been done, what is been done and what should be done to steer economic and political prosperity. Election time is also an important phase in political systems. The election process which in developed democracies is a constitutional right is a time for reflection. A time to take stock of what the state has hitherto done in terms of uplifting the standards of its people. It is a time for the people to seat and reflect on their leaders, a time for the leaders to personally reflect on the successes thus far. 

Elections should not be taken as a time when politicians give promises. Elections should not be about the leaders. Elections are a national phase for reflection. It is a time when a people are reminded of their sovereignty. It is a time when people are filled with hope and expectation that they are integral proponents in the development of their country. And it is through this that they can resolve to determine their future by voting for leaders with their aspirations and not leaders with personal ambitions.   

The metamorphism of Political Parties in Africa: From Freedom Parties to Coalition Building

Political parties are an important vehicle for attaining political power. They are a crucial pillar for engineering democratic ideals and social progress in any polity. Historically, political parties have been associated with community mobilization with the aim of either advancing policy issues or addressing forms of inequality and to seek for inclusivity through popular will and representation. Political parties have echoed the voices of the voiceless, the poor, and the marginalized and more so, political parties have been used as avenues for social and political inclusion of the suppressed. Political science as a field has the discourse of political parties and association as one of its core areas of studies. Political parties have been used to pool together, to drive agendas, to call for respect of human rights, and as a form of a centralized platform to discuss national issues.

If there was anyone who was a student of political parties and wrote extensively about them, it was Lenin. Vladimir Lenin, the one-time ruler of the now defunct USSR dissected the theories and discourse of political parties many from the standpoint of class systems. As the great Kenyan scholar Anyang’ Nyong’o posits in his analysis of political parties: you cannot be a student of political parties without studying Lenin. A critical look at political parties, properly so called is the outcome or the offshoots of the Industrial Revolution. It was as a result of the decline of feudalism and the division of society into social classes under capitalism, that political parties emerged as major proponents in the political spheres. The dynamics of their formation cuts across many political systems from Germany, France, China and to the post-colonial societies.

My focus is the conceptualization of political parties in Africa. The evolution of political parties in Africa was an aggregation of social forces for the struggle for political independence. Though the formation of parties can be traced deeper than the aggregate demands for social inclusiveness, it should be noted that parties in Africa were mainly formed under the auspices for advancing community interest first. this notwithstanding, the parties later gained national outlook driven by the common denominator for political independence. They became avenues for seeking political freedoms. However, after the attainment of political kingdom as Kwame Nkrumah once put it, the freedom parties were used as mechanism for solidification of power. Multi partism was discouraged on grounds that it could polarize the society. 

The fall of the Berlin wall and the end to the Cold War witnessed the triumph of western democracy. A new world order as conceived by George Bush Sr. arose. Not to be left behind, Africa had to adapt to the new order and multi-party democracy sprang up. 

Multi-party democracy in fragile states can prove to be catastrophic. African countries have not yet matured to become democratic nations that respect the dictates and tenets of democracy that include aspects such as good governance, rule of law, human rights protection and promotion, inclusivity. It is still at a very elementary stage. Political parties are a crucial pillar for upholding these tenets. Africa is now witnessing a new conceptualization of political parties. Parties in Africa are now undergoing a political metamorphisis where parties are forming coalitions either before or after election. Post-election coalitions are as a result of competitive elections that hit an impasse and coalitions become necessary. We are now seeing a new dynamic of coalitions. Political parties are forming pre-election pacts so as to consolidate their strengths by pooling together. 

Despite all this, political parties should make sure they are driven by a vision and mission. This has to do with the ideology or what the party stands for in terms of substantial beliefs, methods of propelling the country to economic prosperity, provision of social services and so on. The parties should also adhere to globally accepted norms of representation in terms of gender, youth, agenda and policy formulation.