OPINION: The Cost of 'Lazy politicking' and Premature Endorsements in Gusii

OPINION: The Cost of 'Lazy politicking' and  Premature Endorsements in Gusii 

A lame narrative has continuously been spun by people who seem to be keen on collapsing an agenda that the Gusii community believed in.

Blame games, self-entitlements and living in denial over some self-inflicted fears that don't make sense to the living.

Endorsing candidates is detrimental to Dr. Fred Matiang'i's presidential ambitions. His recent remarks against or for certain elected leaders is already creating rifts in his own backyard. 

Dr. Matiang'i is too exposed to start having political tussles locally when he has a whole elephant to chew out there in scramble for support and votes.

Equally, what the ODM National Tresurer Timothy Bosire did in Kericho was historical, not only to the current political state but also the future. Not any time before that have we seen a meeting of such kind in regard to pushing an agenda of unity. 

ODM Party National Tresurer Timothy Bosire

That meeting was born through multi-sectoral meetings that were done separately in a span of five months prior to the Kericho mega meeting that has now solicited the heated conversations that we are witnessing. 

Each and every individual who was at Kericho was there on their own accord; if there is anyone who has evidence of him/her being coerced or having been misinformed about the purpose of the meeting to have attended, they would have today come out to air it out. 

The lazy ones shouldn't try to divert an agenda meant to achieve a collective community vision into bar talk and bush conversation. Let us learn to be positive to progressive ideas, embrace them and associate ourselves with new/modern ways of doing things. 

The outdated thinking must be condemned; it is uncalled for to be foolishly proud. If you can't invent, why will you be against invention? Simply be a beneficiary of that invention; this is the only way the world will become a meaningful place for us all. 

Each and every individual that was in Kericho that day had been consulted and engaged in a one-on-one engagement with Bosire before they were invited to Kericho for the community consultative meeting whose main agenda was tagged on how to pull energies together on a common purpose economically, socially and politically. 

There is another stale narrative that the meeting was state sponsored. That, Bosire was at some point embarrassing the state/presidency by rejecting an appointment. The government was again at the same time being sponsored by the same state/government to hold sectorial consultative meetings at his home to support the same government! How thick can we be? 

The premature endorsements risk undoing the very unity any Presidential candidate needs most to strengthen such presidential bid. 

Politics, especially in Gusii, is delicate, and every aspirant commands a following that ultimately matters in building a winning coalition. By appearing to side with a few, one inadvertently alienates others who may otherwise have been critical allies. 

A presidential hopeful should not be seen as imposing leaders on the electorate, but rather as respecting the people’s right to choose freely. The strength of a national candidate lies in bringing everyone on board, even rivals, and demonstrating the maturity to lead without bias. 

When a leader becomes selective this early, it creates cracks that opponents can easily exploit to weaken his base.

The risk of infiltration by opportunists is real and must not be overlooked. Many who rush to walk with Dr. Matiang’i in public may have no genuine loyalty to his cause, and their divisive behavior only tarnishes his image. 

Instead of making endorsements, one should focus on private consultations and bridge-building to foster inclusivity. 

A united Gusii front would project a Presidential candidate as the strong, fatherly figure. Alienating respected leaders will only deepen resentment and fragment support. 

If the Gusii sons are to stand a real chance, they must quickly realign their strategy; shift from favoritism to inclusivity, from imposition to empowerment, leadership is earned, not forced. This truth, though uncomfortable, is the only path to sustaining the Abagusii Presidential dream.