OMWENGA: Matiang’i is the president Kenya needs because he is not a career politician

If there is one thing Kenyans have become so accustomed to and expect almost as a matter of right, it is politicians shouting at them from the rooftops of their expensive Prados and the like at roadside stopovers.

Unless they have taken to inform themselves beyond TikTok, most Gen Zs would not know there was a time in our country’s history when campaigning was strictly controlled: one could not hold a campaign event without the approval of area chief, DO or DC.

And you had better not criticise the government in those events lest you were headed straight to prison, torture chambers or worse.

After Section 2A of the constitution was repealed in 1991, allowing multiparty politics in Kenya, we began to experience greater freedom of association and some degree of freedom of expression.

It was after then that politicians like Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Kenneth Matiba started to popularise the use of open-air markets and roadside gatherings to address Kenyans.

Raila Odinga and compatriots took this direct outreach to voters to another level with the holding of massive rallies in combination with market and roadside shows.

And just like that, holding massive rallies became a thing, with those in government and defending the presidency hosting massive rallies during general election campaigns and the opposition led by Raila doing the same thing, if not better.

In 2013, there was no one in government defending the presidency, but Uhuru Kenyatta was for all practical purposes and intent the incumbent.

In 2017, it was back to the de jure incumbent defending his seat but going by the massive rallies in the opposition, one could easily tell where the public mood was as reflected in the polls that were subsequently annulled.

In 2022, Ruto took roadside events and campaign rallies to a markedly different level not by size, but by quality.

The whoppers told and the unkept promises he served a hungry crowd for them are legendary.

Do politicians lie? Of course, but not all of them. To be sure, there are three categories of lying politicians: The award-winning like you know who.

Those who lie but only when strictly necessary, meaning they’re generally truthful except when they find it absolutely necessary to lie to avoid trouble or gain votes.

And, lastly, there are those who don’t lie at all or minimally so and by that I mean those who say things that simply turn out to be false or untrue.

It is indisputable that Jubilee deputy party leader Dr Fred Matiang’i is not a politician. This in itself makes him a unique presidential candidate among all those vying or interested in vying. His demeanor and character do not render him prone to shouting at people at rallies as you would expect political firebrands to do.

This is not a bad thing, but he has his work cut out for him because many Kenyans have unfortunately been led into believing this brand of politicking, namely, roadside shouting of almost always useless slogans or lies, is the way to go.

Once can tell Matiang’i intends to change that with his brand of politicking and along the way bring along his supporters, well-wishers, and even those who are not sure or undecided about his candidature; that’s what a leader does.

Does that mean Matiang’i shouldn’t hold roadside events and rallies? Not at all, he can and should where appropriate and desirable, but he will be the first one to tell you it’s impossible to turn him into what he cannot be because of who he is and what’s in his DNA.

Much as you cannot expect him hurling insults and lies at rallies, so too will you not expect him to tolerate the things he and all of us have identified as being most responsible for ailing our country starting with corruption, and the purveyors of it.

Character matters in leadership and Matiang’i’s is open book for all to see already that he’s not just a different candidate, but will be a different, and better president were voters to give him the nod come 2027.