Kenya’s political landscape is changing, and the country’s so-called political old guard may be among the last to realise it.
For years, senior politicians and powerful figures such as Francis Atwoli, Ken Lusaka and Wycliffe Oparanya have been associated with a political culture where experience, networks and financial muscle are presented as prerequisites for young people seeking leadership.
The message being pushed around is familiar: young Kenyans cannot defeat established politicians because they lack money, experience and political machinery.
But perhaps that argument is already outdated.
Kenyan politics is entering a new phase where civic education, social media and increased political awareness are changing how voters look at leadership. Young Kenyans are increasingly asking questions that previous generations may have ignored. They are questioning performance, accountability and the value of their vote.
The old assumption that money can automatically guarantee political survival is also being challenged.
Politicians who believe that handing out money, organising expensive campaigns and displaying political connections will automatically secure another term could be in for a rude awakening.
And there is an important distinction: accepting money does not necessarily mean surrendering one’s vote.
A Kenyan voter can take the handout offered during a campaign and still walk into the polling station and vote according to their conscience.
That reality should worry politicians who have built their careers around money politics.
The younger generation may not have the deepest pockets or decades of political experience, but they have something increasingly powerful: an informed electorate that is learning to separate campaign generosity from leadership.
The old guard should therefore stop lecturing young Kenyans about why they cannot win.
Answering Atwoli, Edwin Sifuna wondered why he(Atwoli) claimed that young men and women need to go for security jobs and not leadership.
“These older guys say we only need security jobs to man their wealth. They also keep telling us to wait for tomorrow which never comes. The other day, they also sat to draft for us vision 2060,” Sifuna remarked while addressing supporters in Kitui.
Now, the real question is whether the old political formula can still win elections.
