Continent needs ‘digital’ leadership

In a span of less than 40 years, Africans have migrated from one form of something to another! In a generalised sense, Africans have migrated from “nduma” to bread; skin to cotton cloth, queuing at phone booths to mobile phones; analogue broadcasting to digital and from post box letters (snail mail) to email and short message service (SMS) among others. Leadership content in Africa is not “migrating” at the same pace, whether old or young.

Sometime in the early 90s I was stranded in Eldoret town. No money, no idea whether I had friends in town – because a travellers mishap that swallows one’s money had hit me. Here is how I was rescued. I had a phone number of somebody based in Ortum. I went to a public phone booth, called the operator and requested for a reverse call.

The operator called the Ortum number. The gentleman on the other end accepted to call back. By that time, a long queue was building outside the booth. It was not clear what time the fellow would call me; but I had the motivation not to allow those queuing to make their phone calls (but didn’t succeed because of snarling users). Finally, the phone rang, and I explained my story. The fellow on the other end knew someone in Eldoret. He asked me to wait at the booth, in order that he contacts an Eldoret friend. His friend finally called me and whew I was rescued. The process took four hours.

Kenyans have migrated to mobile phone technology that turns my Eldoret predicament into a “stone age” narrative. If one is stranded, he/she can send SMS, send “please call me” and even request for monetary assistance which arrives at the touch of the button either through M-pesa or ZAP. Mobile phones have not only gotten Africans talking to each other, they have literally opened Africa to itself.

In the 90s going back to the independence time, obtaining contacts for universities abroad was in itself a challenge; professors would not release such information at will. It was the days of such swanky talk as “I am the only professor in this and that!” Now with internet, all one needs to do is to “Google and “Yahoo among other search engines for information on internet. 

At the touch of the button, one can access similar information to that which experts possess. It is happening to those who want to know about the weather, types of soils for farmers, and even on disease symptoms and their causes.

Unfortunately for Africa, political leadership content is not “migrating” at the same pace as presented by technology. Whereas technology is liberating Africans to sample fresh breath of economic freedom and information, leadership is sustaining the majority in bondage.

Technology makes individuals to “own their destiny” through power of choice. Political leadership on the hand is pushing for “my people,” that is, people cannot own themselves and they have to belong to someone! For instance, the democratic system in Kenya recognises the role of one man-one-vote on paper whilst in practice; it is one ethnic-community-one bulk-votes.  

Politically, many African countries are stranded in “Eldoret.” Each citizen is forced to make a “reverse call” through its “leader.” Citizens have been waiting for over four decades to grasp aspects of the national and international agenda. Outside the “booth” are Chinese, Indians, Brazilians, and Malaysians among others keen to make their direct calls to prosperity.   African citizens must push for the “migration” of leadership content from ethnicity and short term focus to long term focus.

Shikwati is the director Inter Region Economic Network james@irenkenya.org