Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s altercation with Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo on social media has remained the centre of focus.
While the duo prides themselves as people of dignity, their war of words has raised eyebrows countrywide. In her post, Millie said Sonko is not an intellectual, which is interpreted as someone with little or no education; while the governor dismissed her as a barren woman.
In these remarks, they portray themselves as people with no regard for their electorates who go through the ordeals of lack of education or inability to bear children.
There are hundreds of women in Nairobi–majority having elected Sonko–who would wish to bear children but they cannot for reasons beyond them. Similarly, hundreds of men and women in Suba North would have wanted to be intellectuals but are not due to deep-seated inequalities that confine them to penury.
What this means is that the two leaders treat the masses with scorn, an indication of a dearth of a key leadership credential–empathy. Some people are seen to belong to ‘a lesser God’ because they were born out of wedlock, are disabled or are sons and daughters of single mothers.
Some are treated with spite for being orphans or inability to bear children. Leadership remains a call to serve by implementing sound policies that propel people to enviable economic heights. It’s about vouching for the downtrodden, inspiring them that despite what they go through, there can always be hope for the better and a chance to redeem oneself.
This cannot be achieved with a condescending attitude towards the less-educated or the childless. Sonko and Millie owe Kenyans an apology for not living up to their titles.
Freelance journalist and writer
