In Northern Kenya, elections have become less about public service and more about personal investment.
Political contests are no longer battles of ideas, vision, or leadership credibility—they are high-stakes ventures that only the wealthy can afford. As a result, politics has turned into a marketplace, and leadership into a transaction.
The cost of vying for an elective seat in many parts of our region can run into tens of millions of shillings. From lavish campaigns to strategic handouts, the price of “winning” often outweighs the value of the office itself. For many aspirants, politics is not a call to serve—it is a financial gamble. And once elected, the first priority is rarely development or reform. It is debt recovery.
This cycle of expensive elections, personal gain, and failed public service is the single greatest threat to our region’s progress. It locks out young, competent, visionary leaders who lack money or lineage. It traps communities in five-year loops of broken promises. And it perpetuates a culture where leadership is bought, not earned.
One of the major culprits behind this crisis is negotiated democracy—a model that was originally intended to ensure inclusion and fairness but has now become a tool for elite power consolidation.
Instead of merit-based competition, decisions on who should lead are often made in backrooms by a handful of elders, power brokers, or clan leaders.
Money speaks louder than integrity. Popular surnames carry more weight than policy ideas. The result is predictably damaging: recycled leaders, unfulfilled manifestos, and a generation of disillusioned youth.
If we are serious about changing the destiny of our counties—from Mandera to Marsabit, Garissa to Turkana—we must reform how elections are run and how leaders are chosen.
First, we must make elections less expensive. The IEBC, civil society, and local governance institutions must work together to enforce spending limits, increase transparency, and clamp down on vote-buying and bribery. Let leadership be about ideas, not illicit finances.
Second, it is time to dismantle the gatekeeping role of negotiated democracy. While inclusive dialogue and consensus-building are valuable, they must not be allowed to undermine free, fair, and competitive elections.
Every qualified citizen should have a fair chance to seek office—regardless of wealth or clan backing.
We must also shift the narrative from ethnic arithmetic to ideological contests.
Leaders should be challenged on what they stand for—not who they know or how much they have.
The youth must lead this charge by demanding manifestos, asking tough questions, and refusing to be used as pawns in elite political games.
It is time we asked ourselves: what kind of leadership do we want in Northern Kenya? Are we content with leaders who win through deep pockets and disappear once sworn in? Or are we ready to invest in servant leaders—those who are driven by values, guided by vision, and committed to leaving our counties better than they found them?
The future of our region depends not just on who gets elected, but on how they get elected.
The sooner we remove money and manipulation from our elections, the sooner we can begin to break the chains of underdevelopment and reclaim our voice as citizens.
Leadership is not for sale. Not in our counties. Not in our name.
Mr. Idris Bulle Mohamed is an activist from the Northern Frontier District (NFD) with a background in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Nairobi.
