September the 5th marked the end of the long grueling race for the position of the 5th Kenyan head of state. At the start, this race had over forty participants. As the statutory timeline given by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) edged closer, the participants were slowly filtered out and eventually, only four managed to get to the end of the race. Of the four, there were two main competitors and therefore this race ended up being entirely about both of them, while the other two were spectators who just happened to be in the field. By August, almost each Kenyan paid allegiance to either team Blue (💙) or team Yellow (💛). We were all CONFIDENT of our respective teams’ win.

TEAM BLUE (💙)

This team’s flag bearer is the Rt. Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga. His decades long political career has seen him earn so many political names. My personal favorites are ‘Baba‘ and ‘Jakom‘. Jakom sounds so beautiful and I therefore have reserved it for my partner. For this reason, I will use ‘Baba‘ only, in reference to the former Prime Minister.

In case you missed this post, I was (I still am. As a matter of fact, tuko hapa Namanga tukielekea EACJ, Arusha 😂🤡) part of the ‘Jeshi la Baba’. I truly truly believed and still believe in his leadership at the top office. This is a man that put his interests aside and came out to fight for the democracy we enjoy and at times, take for granted. His fight for multi-partism has gained him the name ‘Statesman’, that a number of netizens are using to sort of pay tribute to him, after the just concluded elections.

This was his 5th shot at the top seat. He missed it, just as the other four. I can only imagine how daunting it is, losing so many times in a race one has invested a lot in. I admire his fighting spirit. I admire how he quickly gets back and either pushes for a ‘nusu mkate‘ or actively leads the opposition or forms a handshake pact. He has consistently fought for his dream to occupy the house on the hill, and now his age is raising concerns amongst Kenyans. Does there come a time when one gives up on their dream?

TEAM YELLOW (💛)

This is the team that carried the day. Its Chief, Dr. William Samoei Ruto, is set to take over the top seat on September 13th. I love referring to this one as ‘Daktari’. I was listening to his interview on CNN, and he stated that his candidature carried hope for every Kenyan child, that they can dream and achieve the highest heights possible. I hope that his win will inspire Kenyan children in the low-income families to spread their wings and fly.

I pray that his will be the best government we have had so far. This is a very selfish prayer, because the next five years are very crucial for me and I therefore need a stable and efficient government. I love that he has been captured mentioning that he does not want any handshakes. I do not know how genuine his sentiments are, given the several defectors he has received from the Blue camp, but I know we need to have a strong opposition. One that will keep the government on its toes and that might not happen in the event of handshakes disguised under peace pacts.

He has brought himself out as a prayerful person and this gives me an assurance that we are in safe hands. We all know he’s a smart politician that has been described as shrewd in some instances.

Otherwise, this election season has been a top-tier period for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed the political banter, the campaign rallies, the tension, the Bomas thrill and the now famous choir and above all, the peace we have experienced throughout. This season has also shown me a side of myself that I love and another that I need to work on. In 2027 I’ll definitely immerse myself into political discussions again. Then, it will be from the perspective of an analytical economist and not just an excited first time voter😂.