Embattled ODM Secretary Normal Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, throughout a latest political rally. PHOTO/UGC.
By PATRICK MAYOYO
As I watch the continued political realignments unfold, I can’t assist however replicate on one highly effective, resounding reality: the younger folks of Kenya have spoken, they usually have chosen their chief. When Edwin Sifuna declared “Mimi Ndio Sifuna,” they responded with a fervor that echoed throughout the nation, “Sisi Ndio Sifuna.” And people phrases weren’t uttered evenly, they had been the cries of a technology uninterested in the identical empty guarantees, the identical recycled faces, and the identical drained rhetoric.
Sifuna, in that second, embodied their hopes, their desires, and their thirst for change. He turned a logo, not simply of political ambition, however of the form of management they desperately search: one that’s not mired in the established order however rooted in values of transparency, good governance, and, most significantly, integrity.
However let’s not child ourselves. The political world, particularly for somebody as vibrant and bold as Sifuna, is filled with traps and distractions. Since his star started to rise, many have weighed in with their opinions on what he ought to do subsequent.
Some are genuinely involved about his future, whereas others are intent on pulling him down. In any case, that is politics. Folks will inform you what they suppose it’s best to do, however few will ever perceive the depth of the alternatives earlier than you.
So, what are the alternatives earlier than Sifuna? Some say he ought to stay as ODM Secretary Normal, others recommend he ought to break free and kind his personal occasion, after which, after all, there’s the matter of his ambitions for 2027; ought to he run for president? Ought to he vie for the deputy seat? These usually are not simply easy political maneuvers; they’re selections that may form not solely his political profession but in addition the way forward for tens of millions of younger individuals who have positioned their religion in him.
I’ve little doubt that Sifuna is totally conscious of the gravity of those decisions. However what strikes me most is that his political journey isn’t just about him; that is concerning the tens of millions of younger individuals who now see him as their beacon of hope.
This isn’t some summary group of individuals, these are actual younger women and men; millennial, Gen Z, and even the Alphas, who’ve embraced him as their very own. They’ve chosen him as a result of he speaks to their wants, to their needs for a future rooted in equity, justice, and accountability. They need to be leaders now, not in some distant, far-off future.
Give it some thought, these younger individuals are those who led the cost final 12 months within the protests in opposition to the 2024/25 Monetary Invoice. The invoice, which sought to burden Kenyans with oppressive taxes, sparked demonstrations that rapidly was a battle for freedom and democracy. The youth marched within the streets, defied the federal government, and confronted abductions, compelled disappearances, and even deaths by the hands of these in energy.
It was a chilling reminder of how far the powers that be will go to crush dissent. However in the midst of all that, Sifuna’s voice rang loud and clear. He didn’t cower. He didn’t fall in step with the ODM occasion elite.
He stood agency in his perception that the folks deserve higher, and he constantly rejected any makes an attempt to align ODM with the oppressive authorities that many younger folks despise.
It’s this consistency, this unwavering dedication to precept that units Sifuna aside. He didn’t succumb to the pressures of the political elite, even when his colleagues in ODM selected to cozy as much as President William Ruto’s administration. When Raila Odinga, the then ODM occasion chief, introduced his intention to work with Ruto and signed an MOU with the Kenya Kwanza authorities, Sifuna was among the many few who brazenly disagreed.
And that, my associates, is what true management appears like. He didn’t compromise his values for the sake of political comfort. He stood for what was proper, not for what was straightforward. In a rustic the place political indecision typically ends in leaders being dubbed “watermelons,” those that lack a transparent place or backbone, Sifuna’s consistency stands as a beacon of integrity.
Now, as we stand on the precipice of a vital political second, I really feel the burden of these three phrases—Sisi Ndio Sifuna—heavy on our collective shoulders. The youth of Kenya are not ready for somebody to inform them they’re “future leaders.” They need to see a brand new actuality, one the place their voices usually are not solely heard however acted upon.
They need to be in positions of energy at present; not 10, 20, or 30 years from now. They need to see somebody who is just not afraid to problem the established order, somebody who will battle for them, somebody who will make their aspirations a actuality. These are your burden!
And that brings me to the following massive query: Is Sifuna prepared to guide now? Ought to he wait till 2032, as some advisors recommend, or ought to he seize the second in 2027? I imagine, undoubtedly, that Sifuna has what it takes to guide Kenya now. Now we have seen it earlier than. We noticed it with Barack Obama, who, at 47 years previous, leapfrogged political giants like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden to change into the forty fourth president of america.
Obama didn’t look ahead to the “proper time.” He noticed a window of alternative, and he took it. His imaginative and prescient resonated with the folks, and he impressed tens of millions around the globe. The identical can occur right here. Age, as they are saying, is only a quantity. What issues is the imaginative and prescient and the power to guide.
In Africa, we now have seen younger leaders rise to energy, and they’re altering the narrative. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, on the age of 44, turned the president of Senegal, with a mandate constructed on guarantees of anti-corruption and financial reform. Africa’s youth are hungry for change, and they’re able to observe leaders who can ship on these guarantees.
Edwin, you might be at a crossroads. Your choice, no matter it could be, will form the way forward for Kenya. In case you select to run for president in 2027 and lose, that’s not a defeat. Identical to Bobi Wine in Uganda or Julius Malema in South Africa, you’ll proceed to be a voice for the unvoiced, a champion for the youth. You’ll proceed to encourage and empower the following technology of leaders.
So, I urge you to hearken to your coronary heart and to the voices of those that imagine in you. Don’t let anybody inform you to attend. The time for change is now. The youth have already declared that Sisi Ndio Sifuna. It’s time so that you can rise to the event and lead.
And bear in mind; on the coronary heart of this rising youth-driven political motion is the concept of generational change. The 2019 Kenya Inhabitants and Housing Census paints a transparent demographic image: Kenya is overwhelmingly a youthful nation, with younger folks forming the biggest share of its inhabitants.
In accordance with the census, these aged between 18 and 35 account for about 30 per cent of the inhabitants, whereas an additional 45 per cent are under the age of 18. Taken collectively, which means roughly three-quarters of Kenyans are younger folks, underscoring the truth that youth usually are not merely a major section of society, however the dominant majority.
This demographic actuality carries profound social, financial and political implications. It means Kenya’s current and future are largely formed by the aspirations, wants and frustrations of younger folks.
From schooling and employment to healthcare, innovation and political participation, the nation’s coverage priorities should replicate the pursuits of a predominantly youthful inhabitants.
In impact, the census confirms that Kenya is a younger nation whose improvement trajectory will rely closely on how successfully it invests in, empowers and engages its youth.
And bear in mind, in the long run, management is just not about titles; it’s about making a distinction. It’s about empowering others. Raila Odinga died aspiring to be the president of Kenya, however he remained probably the most highly effective particular person within the nation exterior the presidency.
The time for the youth to guide is now, and with you on the helm, I imagine that imaginative and prescient can change into a actuality.
The author is a journalist and a political modeling specialist.
