Politics Under Siege: 'Handcheques' Eroding Democracy

President William Ruto’s assertion that his ex-deputy Rigathi Gachgua, who faced impeachment towards the end of last year, requested Sh10 billion for his backing, underscores that Kenyan politics predominantly revolves around individual gain and self-interest. Prior to this statement, Mr. Gachgua had claimed that the president had proposed paying him Sh2 billion to step down. These disclosures offer compelling evidence of Kenya's deeply entrenched transactional political culture. These politicians ostensibly champion the welfare of citizens at both local and national levels; however, their own ambitions typically take precedence over all else. Consequently, they may resort to whatever means necessary to safeguard their grip on authority. The president's revelation validates the widespread occurrence of "handshake deals" before and following elections. Such practices dictate governance dynamics within the nation and render electoral participation meaningless in genuine democratic processes. It is deceptive when officials utilize state finances to perpetuate their dominance since buying such roles grants them impunity regarding misappropriation of additional public assets aimed at maintaining their influence. Thus, true participatory democracy gets compromised under these circumstances. A heated discourse currently centers upon whether certain leaders misuse official capacities by distributing vast sums sourced from tax revenues to secure allegiance. Corruption significantly influences alliance formation strategies too. Reports indicate that government figures bribe legislators into either opposing or endorsing legislation and investigative committees based solely on financial incentives. Legislators forsake their duties as guardians representing citizenry whenever adequately compensated financially. For many statesmen, engaging in politics serves merely as an avenue for accruing wealth rather than fulfilling responsibilities toward serving constituents through legislative bodies properly. If substantiated, instances of attempted bribery constitute clear infringements against Article 6 of the constitution mandating ethical conduct amongst leadership—providing substantial grounds warranting removal from office via impeachment proceedings. Syndigate.info ).