President Uhuru Kenyatta at the home of Mr and Mrs Bosire Matundura in Masimba, Kisii. [Photo/ PSCU]
There is something very unique in President Uhuru Kenyatta when he meets ordinary people. That thing is so rare in other Kenyan politicians, especially NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga. The President has special a way of connecting with the people in the grassroots. Take, for example, his meet-the-people tour of Kisii, Nyamira, Kakamega and Trans Nzoia this week. Many Kenyans felt touched by how the President was able to connect with an elderly couple in Masimba, Kisii when he visited their home to find out if the Cash Transfer Programme, also known as ‘Inua Jamii’ initiative, has had any impact on their lives. Mr and Mrs Bosire Matundura led the Jubilee leader into their rural home, while explaining that the Cash Transfer Programme had turned their lives around — as they were now able to afford the basic needs. The initiative, which the President said was set to be expanded to include all elderly people above the age of 70, had simply brought back dignity to the old couple’s lives. While still in Kisii, the President was not shy in facing the ordinary folks. He went deep to the villages in the county, such as Masimba, Tabaka, Nyakoe, Suneka, Jogoo junction, Keumbu, Keroka, Nyatieko, Nyakoe among others. When the President went to neighbouring Nyamira County, he did not just hold rallies at the main towns — he insisted on going to the grassroots to meet the people and find out the issues affecting them. That’s why he ended up at Kemera, Nyamaiya, Rigoma, Magombo, Ekerenyo, Ikonge, Nyamira and Nyansiongo urban centres. He did the same thing when he toured Western part of the country. President Kenyatta likes to engage the ‘common mwananchi’ on the ground to find out what their concerns are and what he can do to uplift their lives. No other serious leader running for the highest office in the land has shown any interest in connecting and hearing first-hand from the people directly. ODM leader Raila Odinga, the President’s main challenger in the August 8 general election, has never been seen getting close to individual people at the grassroots — let alone visiting them at their homes. He is only known to hold ‘big man’ political rallies, where he goes to a major town, have his team ferry people from different parts of the country using buses, and then address them in a big stadium. He seems only interested in creating a spectacle for the media. It must not be forgotten that this is not the first time that the President is connecting with people. He has been doing that for many years. That is why majority of Kenyans agree he is the coolest president in Africa. Most people want their leader to be someone who is willing to listen to the situations they are going through, is nice and has a proven record of doing everything to turn around their lives.