Citizens’ sovereign power should be wielded with care

In the end, even the anguka nayo craze must make way for meaningful engagement. Recall the exuberance of the youth and the hatupangwingwi fervour that overshadowed serious discussions ahead of the 2022 general elections?

We remember it well, and it is clear that the current crisis is a result of our recent entanglements with the same political figures. Granted, the 2022 elections were indeed the most issue-driven, with the top protagonist in the two major formations drawn from traditional voting blocs.

However, for many Kenyans, particularly those who took to the streets, there was minimal scrutiny of their choices – bandwagon politics was in full swing. The Yellow Fever ushered inept representatives into the House. Today, we celebrate the sacking of the entire Cabinet not because they were entirely incompetent, but because our elected representatives abandoned their duties to serve other interests.

Simply put, the outgoing Cabinet, whose downfall has been characterised by pomp and dance, was a product of our choices. We elected the President, he appointed them and the representatives we elected, the MPs, vetted them and found them fit. How did we get here?

The hatupangwingwi craze got the better of us and no one stopped to ask why someone wanted to panga us in the first space. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we, the people, are the problem in our fledgling democracy.

The power of exercising sovereign power under Article 1 of the Constitution, which we now have the courtesy of Gen Z, must be exercised with caution. If delegating that power to elected representatives has not served us well, we must exercise it directly and judiciously to foster constructive engagement, not another fruitless craze.

In The Republic, Plato argues that society is safest when led by a few clever people. He is critical of democracy, advocating for an enlightened electorate that entrusts power to the wise. Our current struggle with democracy stems from failing to identify these clever leaders. We chant hatupangwingwi and quickly shift to anguka nayo without considering the consequences. Let Plato’s critique remind us that excessive freedom can lead to disorder and a lack of discipline.

You see, we would have to wake up and ask ourselves where we are going from here. The President has probably come down to a level where he has put himself on this line where he either has to deliver or answer questions. Lowering the bar of accountability has got so low that the President is addressing the demands of Gen Z on X and essentially opening the floodgates for open scrutiny.

It appears that is not enough as echoes of an all-inclusive, broad-based government reverberate. The crux herein is whether the coming together of political leaders is a self-preservation ploy or a public-necessity move in the interest of the public. Well, the political class has the liberty to chart its own course as Gen Z and their supporters continue their dissent. The options can only be better for Kenyans.

If political leaders are coming together to protect their privileged position at the expense of the collective public good, then the electorate potentially has an opportunity of sending bigger number of politicians home come 2027. It is like coming together to sink in the same ship. The flip side is a public interest coming together. You see, we are in political turmoil and the demands of Gen Z have put this regime in the turbulent deep sea. The regime is struggling with a storm and if the coming together of politicians is to address our collective interest and help the regime sail the ship to shore for the benefit of all Kenyans, then history will be fair to the key players.

Solutions to Kenya’s problems should define future engagement with whatever new-look Cabinet the President comes up with. Anguka nayo has to pave the way for constructive accountability and we cannot be on the streets, or on X, perpetually. There is no gain if we angusha everything and lose the country.

— The writer is a PhD student in Political communication