incompetent president was voted in
mainly for the bad boy image that he
was able to project on the campaign
trail.
He abused the then incumbent
president, disrespected women,
promised to deport immigrants,
bragged on how rich he was, refused
to file his tax returns and managed
to irritate as many people as he
could and in the process became the
45th President of the most powerful
country in the world.
Six months into his presidency
and he has already managed to
isolate America by annoying all
his traditional allies and he is not
apologetic yet as he maintains that
his mandate is to make America
great again even though he has not
explained who he is comparing
America to.
But the bad boy image is not
confined to men only. Marie le Pen
ran a very successful campaign for
the French presidency and nearly
clinched it on a negative platform.
She preached racism and was under
investigation for financial impropriety
which only made her more popular.
In Kenya we have our dear Ann
Waiguru who was hounded out of office
for fraud in her ministry. The scams that
are still in court and as yet to be resolved
launched her political career. Apparently
there is nothing more attractive than a
woman with balls.
So popular is this lady that she
may very well be back into the
public limelight as a governor and
that would not be a mean feat. The
no apology bad-boy image is the
attraction factor in this situation and
she has capitalized on it to bounce
back.
Her main rival in the gubernatorial
race is the very Martha Karua, the
iron lady of the Kenyan politics,
at the height of her power she was
96 MAL 19/17 ISSUE
‘‘ Ochieng would like
to know if there is
something inherent
in the human psyche
that predisposes us
to admire the rebel
and misfit in society
because that would
then be able to explain
why we are in so much
trouble as a world.’’
known as the only man in Kibaki’s
government due to her no-nonsense
approach to issues and an abrasive
character.
Scandals and a high-handed manner
of dealing with issues propelled her
to an all-time high popularity in
the government and as the Justice
Minister was able to stand her own
against a barrage of attempted male
bullying.
Cut in the same cloth is Charity
Ngilu the canny politician who is
never far away from scandals both
personal and financial but has
managed to turn her notoriety into
massive political capital and has
survived the local political landscape.
She has managed to stay relevant
in the political scene even without
a defined constituency and it will
be interesting to see how her bid to
become a governor goes. In spite of
all the negatives that can be attached
to her name she remains a popular
political figure.
Ochieng would like to know if there
is something inherent in the human
psyche that predisposes us to admire
the rebel and misfit in society because
that would then be able to explain
why we are in so much trouble as a
world.
The bad boys of the world create
negative energy and pull the world
backwards yet we seem to be
attracted to that trait that eventually
wreaks havoc in the world. Why
would a good man admire a bad man
and adore him?
Is that the reason why our political
arena is populated with social misfits
and crooks whose only agenda is to
get a free lunch from us and proceed
to not do anything? Why are there
so many morally numb and uncouth
people in our politics?
But the politicians are voted into
office by apparently sane voters who
know what they want but apparently
they don’t if the crop of politicians
from the national government to the
county government is anything to
go by. We are the problem not the
politicians.
How much political abuse do we
need to go through before we say
enough is enough? When do we stop
voting in fraudsters and con men
and expect our country will magically
flourish and develop. The principle is
the same as in IT, garbage in garbage
out!
If our last word is to be about the
good of the country, that is service
before self then we have to snap out
of this deadly fascination with the
bad boys of society and realize that all
that they do is to take us on a thrill
filled journey to our destruction.
You do not run a country on high
octane of dangerous living. Why do
we hand over our country to bad boys
and hope that they will miraculously
turn us into a paradise, we need to
stop smoking what we are smoking as
a nation and face reality’
Kenyan harvests only what it plants
in its politicians! Period.