How badly has public trust frayed in Kenya?
Social media is awash with rumours claiming that President William Ruto has appointed his daughter as chairperson of the National Mining Corporation.
Although this has been debunked, the damage has already been done.
Thanks to confirmation bias and algorithm-driven echo chambers, the false claim has ricocheted across the internet thousands of times while the truth was still putting on its shoes.
Such patently false claims have so much currency on social media because they fit neatly into the narrative that the Kenya Kwanza administration is designed to operate on favouritism and not merit.
Every Kenyan knows our public institutions are tainted by political patronage.
The Teachers Service Commission is a fine example of this distorted picture.
In theory, teaching positions should be decided based on merit but in reality, many depend on their senator or MP to secure politically connected slots.
A former Education CS distributing appointment letters at a political rally helped to reinforce this perception.
This insidious system is at the heart of the impeachment proceedings facing Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The Constitution rightly places a lot of trust in the Senate to ensure Gachagua receives a fair trial.
This is not about any particular community, but rather one individual and his alleged violations of the Constitution. Kenyans can trust the Senate to approach the impeachment proceedings solely on their merits.
As we have seen with the Gachagua saga, Kenyans view the world through a lens coloured by politics.
I recently sparked a conversation on social media on why the cut and thrust of what happens in our overactive political scene appears to have infiltrated every aspect of society.
In my political backyard, I have seen too many young Maasai men caught up in an endless loop of gossip and speculation. "Governor Lenku said this." "Katoo promised that." "
The senator declared this on JLK." A pressing issue worth the time of these young Kenyans is the ongoing dispute over Amboseli National Park in Kajiado county.
Despite many promises that the park’s management would be handed back to the people of Kajiado, I remain sceptical.
This government’s track record on such matters (like the long-standing case of Tata Chemicals’s undue control over Magadi town) leaves much to be desired.
Magadi, a small town with just under 1,000 residents, is home to the lucrative Magadi Soda plant. However, the indigenous community can hardly reap any benefits.
Local Maasai herders even fear crossing the railway line through the town lest their livestock is struck and they are forced to pay fines.
Unfortunately, we as leaders have failed to set the right example.
Instead of focusing on governance and development after the 2022 election, we immediately shifted our attention to amending election laws and planning for the 2027 election.
As a result, many Kenyans feel disengaged from the process of governance.
Devolution was supposed to decentralise power and entrench competence at the county level but, unfortunately, the poison at the national level has trickled down to the counties.
It is no secret that governors across the country, many of whom entered office with no personal wealth to speak of, are now constructing multimillion-shilling mansions.
Meanwhile, ordinary citizens continue to live in poverty, waiting for the handouts that these same leaders give out during election season. We need to break this cycle by refocusing on merit, professionalism and integrity.
I am doing my part by convening professionals from various pastoralist communities. Last week, I met with a group of lawyers and in the coming weeks, I will also bring together doctors, teachers, and other professionals from diverse communities.
This will help move us away from divisive "mtu wetu" politics towards a culture where politics serves the people and not the other way around. Gachagua’s impeachment offers us a rare chance to practice our new manners.
It is time for Kenyans to demand that politicians take personal responsibility for their actions while in office. Only then can we rebuild trust in our institutions and unlock Kenya’s full potential.
Ledama Olekina is the Senator of Narok County