In Northern Kenya, politics has become less about service and more about survival for those who run for office and not for the people.
Elections have morphed into high-stakes ventures, dominated by the wealthy and politically connected.
For young leaders, women and minorities representatives without deep pockets and powerful surnames, the door to political leadership remains firmly shut.
If we are serious about building credible and reliable servant leadership in our region, we must confront the uncomfortable truth that elections are far too expensive.
The rise of “negotiated democracy” where clan elders and elites decide leaders behind closed doors has turned politics into a transaction.
It rewards wealth, not merit. It honors bloodlines, not ideas. And it silences the majority, especially youth and women, who are excluded from the process before it even begins.
Today, the cost of winning a parliamentary or gubernatorial seat can run into tens of millions of shillings. Campaigns are supposed to be driven by vision and values. However cash handouts, fuel guzzlers, and endless rounds of fundraisers remain the norm.
This turns elected office into an investment that must pay off. Leaders who emerge from such systems inevitably spend their first term recovering what they spent and accumulating for the next round. Governance becomes a means to personal enrichment and not public transformation anymore.
This cycle has left our counties stuck in a loop of underdevelopment, broken promises, and leadership for sale.
Public trust in politics is eroding because many see it for what it has become a rigged game where service is secondary and the people are pawns.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We need to deconstruct the culture of political investment and reimagine a future where ideas and not money win elections.
Campaigns must center on ideology, policy, and vision. Voters deserve leaders who are tested on their beliefs and track record, not their bank balance.
The people of Northern Kenya have never lacked talent and courage they have simply been denied opportunity by a political system designed to keep power in the hands of a few.
We must create new pathways for honest, capable leaders to rise without being crushed by the weight of financial expectations or clan politics.
If we want a better future, we must start by changing how we choose our leaders. Let’s make room for fresh voices.
Let us reduce the cost of elections. And let’s retire the politics of the cheque book and embrace the politics of conviction.
Mr. Imran Mohamed Abdirahman, CPM is a peace ambassador, governance analyst, and youth empowerment advocate. He is the Executive Director of ERGO International Peace Initiative and Managing Director of Jicho Kubwa Security Ltd.
