Political patronage in African countries

Political patronage is one of the consequences of the problems we face as a nation. Africa is full of spoilsmen and spoils mongers, people who only serve for share of spoils, distribute public offices and their emoluments as the price of services to party and its leaders. The spoils system has been entwined with ethnicity to outwit the suffering Africans. Our leaders have successfully employed tribalism narrative whenever crackdowns take place to protect their corruptly acquired properties at the expense of a suffering citizenry.

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. In Africa, it is easy to be corrupt than to follow the due or legal procedures to acquire something. For example, the court processes consume a lot of resources and time for “the noncompliance.” As such, the cartelized system has no choice but to move aggressively against noncompliant and impedes of their incompetence.

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Kenyans have noticed the fundamental aspect that is bringing about infirmity that is deteriorating our community all the time (Quid Pro Quo) – something is given or received for something else- corruption. The spoil system forces the good citizens to join it through payment of small token (bribe) to be slowly identified and allowed in the squandering of public resources.

It slowly harbors development of a nation for good leadership and booming economy. The great country is slowing dying, politics in all sectors of the society, corrupt church leaders, normal corruption, imbalance distribution of resources, wide rich-poor gap, unemployment and high cost of living.

Leaders speak, and we listen to them. They publicly attack each other during the day, but at night they dine together. They promise but fail to deliver in their five-year term, but we re-elect them after giving boodle. The hoodwinked electorates see the loot as a vouchsafe, the genesis of recycled poor leadership.

Political scientist and Professor of politics, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, said that democracy is the worst form of government possible because it greatly increases the ruler’s risk of losing power.” Many leaders serving in democratic government have successfully employed and utilized what Bruce Bueno de Mesquita refers to as the five rules for political survival. These rules are: “keep your winning coalition as small as possible, keep your nominal electorate as large as possible, control the flow of revenue, pay your key supporters just enough to retain loyalty and don’t take money out of your supporter’s pockets.

Development requires true patriotism to ensure more democratic nations and continent. Africans must rise and face the egocentric oligarchs.

By Mitito Ndege

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