Mwandrox Ke

If the opposition movement genuinely belongs to Kenyans, then a handful of politicians should not retreat into private meetings and decide who will be the presidential candidate on behalf of millions of people. You cannot spend months telling Kenyans that they are the owners of a political movement, only to turn around and reduce their role to cheering for a candidate selected through negotiations between political elites. Let those seeking the presidency present their ideas, defend their records, explain how they intend to fix the economy, investigate public debt, reform healthcare and address the institutional failures that have frustrated Kenyans for years. Then establish a transparent, credible and inclusive process through which the people supporting the movement can participate meaningfully in choosing the person who will represent them. The danger of allowing a few politicians to make that decision privately is that the movement risks becoming another arrangement for sharing political positions rather than an expression of the public's desire for change. If this is a movement of the people, that should happen!