Do you know your local Councillor?

Many people are aware that there are two levels of governance in Kenya; these are the Central and Local government. The Central government has three arms: the Legislative (Parliament), the Executive (President, cabinet and civil service) and the Judiciary.

Local government is comprised of municipalities and councils run by elected officials known as Councillors.

The Executive and Legislature enjoy lots of media attention, with aspiring candidates at presidential and parliamentary level receiving good coverage through an election year (as is currently happening).

Unfortunately, civic candidates are usually completely ignored by mainstream media houses. Most voters inevitably remain in the dark regarding these candidates, till the elections day.

During this important democratic exercise, most voters will often revert to the famous “three-piece suit” voting pattern in determining their Councillors. “Because I’ve given my favourite Presidential candidate my vote, I’ll also vote in an MP and Councillor from the same party where he or she belongs to,” so goes the reasoning. As a result, many Nairobi voters cannot tell you who their local Councillor is, yet they voted for one during the last elections in 2002!

Sadly, this situation has left room for people with extremely dubious backgrounds and scanty credentials evade serious scrutiny by voters. After securing party nominations (often conducted though fracas and chaos), many manage to get elected through political party “waves” such as the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) momentum in 2002 which bundled KANU out of power.

It’s no wonder that many of our local authorities are riddled with gross ineptitude, mismanagement and mediocrity. They
remain theatres of the absurd, with numerous bizarre incidents being documented over the years on the conduct unbecoming of our Councillors. A recent example is the chaotic mayoral polls conducted on the 20th of July 2006 at the Nairobi City Council (click image at the top). Read the story here.

Here’s what Musikari Kombo, Minister for Local Government said about the incidence.

“As I wind up, I would like to say that the mayoral elections were barbaric and it is something we must deal with. I undertake to bring amendments to Cap.265, that will deal with that area and also ensure that a better calibre of councillors are elected into the local authorities.”

This is taken from the Parliamentary Hansard report of Wednesday 2nd August 2006.

Dear Kenyans, what is the solution to this state of affairs? I firmly believe a large part of the solution lies within our reach as voters. I submit that we have the power to elect high calibre and result-focused individuals as Councillors if we took the time to scrutinise aspiring civic candidates as we do the parliamentary ones.

In that endeavour, I’ve humbly presented myself to the people of Kileleshwa Ward as a candidate for Councillor in this year’s general elections. Please click here to read an email announcement I sent to my friends.

I firmly believe that the management of our councils can be tremendously improved, if a critical mass of professionals is elected to run our local authorities. They should be men and women of integrity, highly competent individuals capable of tackling the challenges of running a City in the 21st century.

Rather than talk and complain about the current situation, I’ve decided to step out of my safety zone and wade into the “murky” world of politics. I hope my brave step will encourage other like-minded individuals to make a difference where it really matters – at the grassroots level. If successful, this vision will eventually impact on the way we conduct our national affairs at both parliamentary and executive levels of governance.

Please feel free to share your thoughts, questions and solutions on this blog regarding our civic authorities. By so doing, we shall have focused ourselves more keenly on civic leaders, and shall no longer allow ourselves to vote blindly at every general election.

The Chinese once said, “ a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

My fellow Kileleshwa voters, our journey to elect a professional and change the way things are done at City Hall has began today.

Sincerely,

Dancan Muhindi
- Professionals for City Hall -

If you’d like to join this noble campaign as a volunteer, or to donate campaign materials, please write to me.
Email: dmuhindi@gmail.com