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THE "AMERICANIZATION" OF KENYAN POLITICS

I have never been a fan of politics but whenever I want to have a really good laugh, I tune to Kenyan politicians and watch their endless bickering, name calling and character assassination. I see right through their lies. Truth be told, none of these politicians have any of our interests at heart.  That is well documented. But what really puzzles me in this election is the amount of copy-pasting our leading presidential candidates have done from American politics.

Kenya Kwanza translates to "Kenya First", a direct copy of Donald Trump's "America First" campaign slogan. In the context of American politics, the slogan and its resulting policy stance generally emphasizes nationalism and non-interventionism. William Ruto's watered-down version of the slogan has nothing to do with foreign policy or attitude towards globalization and international organizations. No, Willam Ruto uses the term to mean that he’ll put the interest of ordinary Kenyans first rather than the interests of those he characterizes as the political elites or dynasties. It is quite an invention - by Ruto's standards - but this watered-down version makes no sense at all. He could easily have made his slogan be something like “Ordinary Kenyans First ” if that’s what he means. But he couldn't  do that because that wouldn't sound "American" enough. You see, the whole idea is to be as "American" as possible.



Raila Odinga’s “Baba Care” is a cheap moniker for Barrack Obama’s “Obama-Care” health care plan. Whatever similarities there is between the two healthcare plans beyond the name remain to be seen, but the best guess is that there isn't much. Raila's choice of a female running mate is eerily reminiscent of Biden's choice of Kamala Harris. Both were hailed as historic, but in truth, one was just a copy of the other. Raila is just as old as Biden. Both Martha Karua and Kamala Harris are women but that is as far as the similarities go. You see, Mrs. Harris represents a minority group in USA. The same cannot be said of Mrs. Martha Karua who represents a section of Kenyan society that have have held onto the reigns of power and influence for the better part of Kenya's existence as an independent state.

The Kenyan media nowadays organizes presidential debates for the presidential candidates. You won't guess where they got that from..

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