Leaders jumped the gun on elections outcome

After the controversial announcement of the presidential poll winner on August 15, several leaders particularly in Africa were quick to congratulate President-elect William Ruto. While they should have taken their time in the ensuing circumstances to see what eventually happens in the aftermath of the chaos at the Bomas of Kenya tallying centre, you may not blame them offhand.

Like the rest of us, they were excited for the milestone. Our neighbours especially breathed a sigh of relief seeing that the outcome was peaceful. They need a stable Kenya for selfish social, economic and political reasons. They dread the prospects of hosting thousands of refugees from Kenya, a feat only Kenya has effectively managed in the region due to support by the international community. But the congratulations were premature, seeing that Ruto’s major contestant Raila Odinga subsequently disputed the results. May be the leaders have also fallen for the propaganda that has painted Raila as a political villain who cries wolf if things do not go his way. Far from it though.

Raila is more enigma than rabble-rouser. They should have been informed by their communication team that the previous doyen of opposition politics has chaperoned Kenya at great personal sacrifice to the currently dynamic democracy they admire today.

While the leaders sent diplomatic goodwill messages, the cantankerously outspoken South Africa opposition leader, Julius Malema, urged Raila to accept the poll results. This was preposterous and condescending. I believe he was coming from the popular view that the former Prime Minister has never acceded defeat in previous elections.

That may be so, but he usually has valid reasons that have taken him to court. Furthermore, it is not in Malema’s jurisdiction to purport advising someone that he should be seeking counsel from. For Kenya to change, may be it needs a Raila moment.

For Russia, the country was anxious to continue the plans that are in the offing in pursuit of establishing the growing partnership between the two countries. Again, Kenya is larger than any of the two presidential candidates and will prevail anyway.

China has actually taken the right stance and understands that premature congratulations are inadvertently interfering in the country’s internal affairs. The country has shown that it has no favourite and is ready to work with whoever Kenyans elect.

Anyway, our friends should hold their horses until the die is cast to avoid looking like they have taken sides in the presidential contest. In fact, they should be sending their legal teams to Kenya at such times to follow how we manage to pull these Supreme Court duels.

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Although Nigeria is many things to different people, one thing is uncontestable. Nigerians are renowned for their pride and patriotism. In an unprecedented move aimed at securing and growing local talent, Nigeria has become the first country in the world to ban the use of foreign models in the advertising industry. 

The plan by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria will be effective October 1 and follows the Government’s policy of developing local talent, inclusive economic growth and the need to take necessary steps and actions aimed at growing the country’s advertising industry. This was not a knee jerk reaction. It is a deliberate action that shows why Nigerian artists have actually started dominating the international stage in recent years.

While Kenya has really made significant progress in growing local talent, we still have a lot of foreign content in our arts. We need to revisit the apparently shelved plan by the Ministry of Information Communication Technology that proposed our free-to-air national broadcast stations up the threshold of local content by up to 70 percent. It may not bring the money right now, but it will revolutionise our media in a decade. We need such visionary leadership to change our fortunes in all fields.  

— The writer is a PhD student in International Relations.