30/03/2017
By Keobia Obadia
It is no doubt that people have, in the past questioned Sonko’s lifestyle and, of course, his use of language.But, do all these matter to Sonko’s supporters?Does it matter that the Senator does not know how to speak English(the colonial master’s Language) well? On the contrary, I would argue, most Nairobians find Sonko to be appealing to them.Sonko speaks the language of the people.Chinua Achebe, a renowned African Author, in his book ``A man of the People’’ he writes,`` Let us now and for all time extract from our body politic as a dentist extracts a stinking tooth all those stooges versed in text-book economics and aping the white man’s mannerism and way of speaking.We are proud to be Africans.Our true leaders are not those intoxicated by Oxford, Cambridge or Havard degrees but those who speak the language of the people.’’
Look, I have no dislike for elites. Lest you get the wrong impression of me, let me put it clear that I am not on a crusade against the educated or elites in this case. As High school teacher and a teacher of English and Literature, I tell my students to work hard to achieve good grades but I also insist that integrity and values are more critical than the mere grades and the later should not substitute with the former in life.More often than not, most Kenyans have been made to be people who do not think (and think critically) about social and political reality but simply accept it and participate in it in a way that has been organised for them by others: the ruling class and the political elites.However, things are changing and Sonko’s rising tide in Nairobi’s Gubernatorial race is disrupting that season: the season of political pretence.