Trends of Leadership

Is it satisfying the quest for power or being a true leader and of service to the students? This is the question that most students have been asking themselves as the MUSO elections are in top gear. Various students have volunteered to vie for the various positions that are on offer and are out there selling their manifestos to the voters. The aspirants use all means at their disposal to please the electorate end win their favors in terms of votes. This includes convincing them that he/she is the right person to represent them in matters pertaining the student’s affairs.

However, the campaigns are being done the Kenyan way having the taste of our own politicians. The use of money in soliciting votes is the first issue; this takes the form of buying some coffee and beer to the revelers who in turn will be chanting the aspirants name throughout the campaign period, provided that there is a regular “recharge” of the same drinks.

Also bearing in mind the fact that in campus we have various people from various places, walks of life and ethnic groups, the notion of ethnicity is deeply rooted in these elections such that if an aspirant is from a certain tribe, his/her tribesmen will vote for the person in massive numbers. You could hear people saying “tunakufa na mtu wetu kwanza, wengine baadaye”. This underrates the desire of a good servant leadership and makes voters vote along ethnic lines, it doesn’t matter if the person has good leadership qualities or not. According to a survey done on the previous elections, voters voted along ethnic lines and groupings that were formed by the politicians. This is a practice that should be discouraged in campuses because ;;the aspirants follow politicians by example.

When the leaders get to power, only God knows where they vanish into because they are never seen again until when their term comes to a near end. This is also what politicians do when they get to power, they purchase mansions in Nairobi and forget about their voters only to appear when their term is almost ending.

These are very bad behaviors that should be discouraged from the onset, in order to get leaders that are selfless and are of service to the people. In this case, the students should be able to elect a leader that is going to be there for the students in all aspects. Ensure the students rights and privileges are not violated in any way. That’s a true leader.