Political accountability starts with voters

The Constitution puts a premium on accountability as a critical concept in the governance process. This derives from the theory that leadership is exercised based on authority delegated from the citizenry. As such, those entrusted with the responsibility to govern must undertake their tasks according to the mandate vested on them by those who elect them.

In the above scheme of things, elections play a very instrumental role. It is through this that delegation of sovereign authority from citizens to their leaders takes place. Consequently, elections are an important process. Internationally, standards exist to guarantee their credibility. They represent the free will of the electorate.

I was reminded of the importance of elections in the accountability chain this past week. First, a friend shared a clip on an elected governor having trouble grasping basic concepts of health governance. My friend stated that the person had been elected by county residents. I initially wanted to object to this statement.

It was going to be convenient to state that the person was forced on the electorate. I then realised that he does represent that county. The state of their health care has been a source of concern for the county.

The single clip reminded me that to expect one who cannot grasp basis health concepts to improve the health standards of the citizens was unrealistic. If citizens appreciated this direct link more, we may start the process of improving the quality of leadership in the country.

The second event related to impeachment in Kenya and the US last week. On one hand, the Senate affirmed the impeachment of the Kiambu governor paving the way for the swearing in of his deputy. While there is contestation over the process, it speaks to the importance of political accountability. In the US, President Donald Trump’s case was going through the Senate hearings.

Listening to discussions about the two proceedings though, one got the feeling that citizens’ complaints stem from the electoral process.

The wider complaint relates to the quality of leadership that they have demonstrated. In fairness. The quality complained about is something that was discernible even during their campaigns to ascend to office.

It demonstrates that citizens need to take elections more seriously, identify the calibre of leaders they want to delegate their sovereignty to and ensure that these standards become the yardstick against which electoral choices are made.

This will avoid the misery that citizens experience after elections.

The third event relates to Britain. The United Kingdom finally left the European Union on Friday, meaning that Brexit became a reality. Following the referendum when the British electorate voted to exit the EU, political upheaval had marked the country’s leadership. Watching the news reports, I saw former prime minister Theresa May and could not stop reminiscing about her tenure.

In my view she came across as an honest politician. However, she forgot the importance of accountability and paid the price. Interestingly, current Prime Minister Boris Johnson, long regarded as not too serious, has been able to navigate and deliver Brexit. He understood that politics is about accountability.

As Kenya continues to debate about its governance challenges and explore options for reform, it is essential that it reviews its accountability frameworks with a view to strengthening them. This is not so much about changing laws but changing action.

Citizens must exercise their power more responsibly and firmly. Leaders should be entrusted with the privilege to govern only when they meet a certain threshold.

This should be objectively defined. Abandoning voting on subjective and temporary selfish criteria will ensure that Kenya gets leaders who are committed to public welfare and not private benefit.