Nothing annoys and amuses at the same time like the mind of a Kenyan voter. We need a serious psychological research to understand what goes on in the mind of Kenyans especially during general elections. Those who have keenly followed electoral processes in the country must have discovered that soon after casting his ballot, a Kenyan begins hating the leader he voted in even before leaving the polling station. If a repeat poll were to be conducted the following day, it would not be surprising for the majority to change their preference. But this is a subject for another day.

Elections come with all forms of goodies and promises, both realistic and absurd. Driven by a thirst to get votes, politicians are making all manner of promises to the more often gullible electorates. They are promising to construct bridges where there are no rivers. They are promising to take the electorate to a land flowing with milk and honey at no cost on the part of the electorate. We have been promised numerous jobs, free health services as well as welfare programmes for the poor and aged. But many fail to realize that every gain has a cost. That is why a very negligible minority is publicly challenging the viability and relevance of these pledges.

While it is typical for politicians all over the world to shamelessly peddle unprecedented manner of lies and half-truths, it is disturbing that a majority of Kenyans, including the elites, are actually taking election pledges as gospel truth. Expectations of citizens have been taken so high. Where has our collective logic gone? Are we in a critical intellectual comma?

Take the current free secondary education promised from next year. All the leading presidential candidates from President Mwai Kibaki, Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka have pledged to scrap school fees from January next year and that, students in all public schools will report back without a coin in their pockets. One candidate talks about extending this gesture to universities. At face value, it looks a timely and exceptionally noble idea. Secondary school fees is the greatest burden to many a rural family as they are forced to sell all their property, from land, cattle and even poultry, for their children to acquire education. Our children are ever out of school for lack of school fees while a large number is forced to drop out all together. It is thus understandable why such a populist promise is eliciting euphoric excitement in many a parent. But when the nitty gritties of this pledge are put in their right perspective, a number of issues that beg for answers arise.

Personally, I do not see this pledge working. I wish all voters would realize this and stop squandering their money during this festive season. Next year, their children will be home for school fees. I will be happy to be proved wrong since I am also paying school fees and such a move will be most welcome indeed.  Were it not for the immense foreign monetary support as well as heavy taxation, the free primary school education programme would have long become a cropper. 

According to a recent report on such a venture, the government will require massive investment in facilities, logistics and employing more teachers before implementing free secondary school education. For instance, we all know that schools will open in early January. At that time, the next government will not be fully in position to disburse funds even if available. The current budget ends in June next year and nothing has been allocated for these promises. None of those promising this programme are open enough to let Kenyans know where they plan to get the money to fund the programme from. What is on record by both Finance Minister Amos Kimunya and his Education ministry counter part Prof. George Saitoti is the scrapping off of tuition fees. Thus anyone promising anything more is lying to the nation and should be condemned by all.

We need to get facts from the onset. A government is not a charitable organization. It only delivers services using your money. The more services become ‘free,’ the more taxes we shall pay through our noses. Anyone with basics in development studies will tell you that you cannot increase social spending on one hand and reduce taxes on the other. When the same leaders again promise to drastically lower taxation and prices of common items, one is left to wondering how we fail to see the trick.

As Lawrence W. Reed of Mackinac Center for Public Policy puts it “sound policy requires that we consider long run effects and all people, not simply short run-and a few people.” When Lyndon Johnson of the United States cranked up the Great Society, the federal entitlement to welfare encouraged idleness, broke up families, produced intergenerational dependency, cost taxpayers a fortune and yielded harmful cultural pathologies that may take generations to undo. Governments have nothing to give anybody except what they take from somebody. A government that is big enough to give you everything that you want will ultimately take away everything you have got.

There is need to introduce a measurable protest vote aspect in our elections, to cater for those dissatisfied with the status quo. For instance, I don’t agree with all the candidates on the aspect of the free goodies they are espousing. Voting for any of them will mean I endorse their lies. My not voting will not affect anything. If I spoil the ballot paper in protest, it will be said that my region never received enough civic education on voting. My protest will thus be misunderstood. But if there was a provision of say, ‘non of the above’ on the ballot paper, it would be easier to quantify those against the fielded candidates. I am sure there are so many Kenyans who would vote against the above campaign gimmicks.

Tapping protest votes will reveal the true feelings of the citizenry. If the protest vote wins, for instance, there will be no other option but to hold a repeat poll to elect truly popular and democratic leaders.  My passionate appeal to my fellow voters is to avoid intellectual amnesia when assessing aspirants. Otherwise we will hate ourselves for being such fools when all is said and done.