Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Jonathan Mueke for Westlands
if you live in westlands Nairobi, vote Jonathan Mueke today. A good man, a young visionary leader who was my pal in grad school and who can represent the future for Westlands, Nairobi. He's up against bigger, better funded, or connected candidates, but he should be the MP who can make a difference after 2007
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14 comments:
Sorry but your friend will not get votes due to the following reasons.
1. Majority of Westlands voters are the poor people who live in the slums surrounding the leafy upidy suburbs.You friend happens to be too elitist for their taste.
2. He belongs to the wrong party, he is a tribalists for sticking with his fellow Kamba in ODM-Kamba, clearly no different from the current politicians.
3. Since he sided with his Kamba brothers, he should only expect Kamba votes, which isnt much in Westlands.
4. The guy just dropped from states just in time to bud for this seat, not a good sign for locals who hold such diasporans with contempt.
If Mueke is truly a Kenyan patriot, let him stick around on the ground for another 5 years and get acclimatized to the reality of Kenyan life beyond his leafy suburb upbringing before Kenyans can entrust him with leadership.
I've just cast my ballot for Jonathan Mueke and I have no regrets whatsoever coz in my opinion, he's the most suitable candidate regardless of his tribe or his party. I've spoken to a few other young Kenyans and they also cast their vote for Mueke. I wish him all the best, however slim his chances may be. These old fellows need to go!
Am heading out to vote.. I will vote for Mueke: that am sure of although deep down I know that buffon Gumo will win. This because the typical westlands voter is not like me. He-the voter sees me as the enemy because although am his neighbour, am the wrong tribe, my house is fenced to keep him away and I dont identify with his problems. He is wrong but am not a crusade. So, I will vote for Mueke because he is the best candidate for this area and although I know him and he is not my tribe, he reprsents me and I can identify with him.
Am voting a different party for president but alas! I dont know who I will vote for councillor
Patriot: Reasons are not convincing, who's a better, viable canidate?
Makanga: someone should do a writeup on Kneyans who have returned for the last few years from the states, and for various (non-political) reasons. They see better opportunities and want to make a differnce here now. Give them a chance
Seasons & Reasons, Archer: thanks. I mean who else can you pick in Westlands?
The problem with some of us bloggers is that we're idealistic rather than pragmatic. I'm just stating the reality of Kenyan elections which is tribal,euphoric and populist, not the sober issue-based politics that most bloggers here seem to idealize.
Even in States, Karl Rove and Dick Morris are known to fire up their tribal bases(rural whites vs urban whites,evangelicals vs non-religious, whites vs minorities, educated elites vs undeducated bums etc.)
@SnR: true coz Gumo is likely to win it. We're family friends, we were neighbours, went to school with the kids, I campaigned for him in 2002, (sticking up his posters at weird hours of the night) but seriously, what has Gumo done for Westi in the last 5 years?
@Patriot: so what would you rather we do?
Patriot has a point, Cory Booker in Newark had to learn the lesson, Obama in Chicago had to learn the lesson when he first ran for Congress. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14502364).
Politics is about getting selling a vision and getting people on your side, and I feel Jonathan Mueke will begin to understand that.
His campaign website looks like a campaign poster for the Rotary, and yet is major constituents live in poverty. Image really matters.
Contrast that with John Kiarie.
Look at this line on his website
"Improving and where necessary upgrading healthcare centers in Dagoretti constituency".
I wonder, did Jonathan test market his message with target consituents? Did he create an overall message that resonated with the group? What are their concerns?
Raila is even wealthier than Jonathan but has been able to make that a non-issue.
He is young, and hopefully will take the election results as a lesson... he needs to connect to the aspirations and hopes of his constituents. He needs to improve his EQ(Emotional Intelligence). His campaign is too left brained... It is too Auburn Hills, yet he is standing for elections in the city of Detroit.. too Westchester, yet standing for elections in the Bronx.
Archer, I'm not here to offer solutions, just stating the facts however inconvenient they may be.
As for Mueke, he should lose his elitist mode, mingle with Korogocho mama mbogas, lose the suits,stay in mashinani for the next 5 years endearing himself to the mama mbogas, not the Westlands elites that I saw him mingling with during his launch. This is not America.
Notice that all incumbent Nairobi MPs are all knuckle-heads. Raila,Gumo,Kamanda,Mwenje,Ndolo,Mugo,Nyaga, notice a common theme about these MPs, they're all knuckle-heads with a troop of passionate followers who provide the needed muscle whenever its needed. Nairobi is not for masoftie kama Mueke.
@Patriot: Talk of knocking the nail squarely on the head. That's the painful truth.
Patriot. I think you need to look further into the future rather than get stuck in the past or present. It's true, tribalism is a big factor to voters of today, however I believe leadership should have no boundaries in regards to where you come from but rather to where you're going. Whether you're Kamba, or Luo, or anything else,... should not be a factor to determine your ability to lead. However; education,policy,ideologies,amongstother meaningful factors should be what voters need to look at.
Like many sharp and educated people believe,a party is only but just a vehicle to parliament today(hopefully this will change in the future), ....hense Mueke decided to jump into the bus most suitable for him(actually let me rephrase that, the wrong or right bus happened to come to his stop which was LPK)...Beyond that, please look at his website www.jonathanmueke.com, and dig into his vision to understand what his interests are for the wananchi of Westlands....Unlike you, my education, and simple reasoning does not allow me to believe that Jonathan Mueke-born,raised and schooled in the diverse Westlands and overseas would be at all tribalistic. It just wouldn't make sense given his success in several varied dwellings.
I read Mueke CV like a movie transcript, i know him very well and was shocked to find thta half ot the cv especially his involvement in America and work experience was baesd on lies. it just reminded me what i read about other politicians and Mueke is not exceptional. Ibelieve he will learn from experiences and also for trading Grace Mwenda to a Luo Rose Momanyi before droping from America. This is how Mueke is capabale of raping political parties for his selfish gains.
I totally agree with Archer's and Patriot's comment dont just drop in and expect people will listen to you. You need the grass roots to help you just like Obama did. As for Ure Former Detroiter that is pure malice his Love life has got nothing to do with it.
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