Does Kenya Need Another Hero?
Kenyans love heroes. You don’t need to look far to find examples. When I was growing up, little heroes were picked from the most academically gifted students. These were paraded on media stations and made to feel as if they had attained the gift of nirvana. In churches, there were great men of God, known for their miracles and the power to cast out all types of maladies. And in politics, there were men with a sweet tongue who promised to take us to El Dorado if we gave them our votes.
Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish essayist of the Victorian era, argued that history is made by exceptional individuals alias Great Men. Other thinkers such as Herbert Spencer differed, claiming that history was made through collective effort. The individuals we call heroes, they argued, are enabled by specific contexts and histories that may not be immediately obvious.
Why are we so fixated on the cult of the hero? First, we overestimate the influence of individuals. For instance, we want every new president to instantly fix roads, healthcare, unemployment, and a myriad of other things that we care about. We believe that he has the power to overhaul the pre-existing cultures and institutions to deliver what we want immediately. When he fails to do so, he gets a taste of our wrath. But we often forget that even the most powerful presidents have a hard time changing institutional cultures, and that still takes time.
Get Elijah Koome’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Second, we often mistake charisma for competence. The ability to tell a good story is the fastest way to buy your way into the hearts of Kenyans. We saw this in 2022 when the current president used the story of hustler versus dynasty to charm his way into power. As we edge closer to the 2027 elections, I have no doubt that the best storyteller is going to carry the day.
Is hero-worship compatible with democracy? Almost certainly not. Democracy should ideally enable us to select the best leaders. But fixation with heroes, that is “unblemished” exceptional individuals, often leads to irrational loyalty that can shield leaders from necessary scrutiny. This can lead to poor accountability which is necessary for a functional democracy. Fixation with heroes also leads to weaker institutions. If every decision must be approved by the designated hero, institutional capacity remains low. In the absence of the leader, total collapse becomes a real possibility.
The cultural critic Dr. Joyce Nyairo wrote insightfully about the heroic legacies of Jomo Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, finding that often, it is the people — not godly competence — who elevate others into the role of heroes. When in pain, we hoist a saviour above us, hoping they will fix our suffering. But, as Nyairo writes, people are human first before they are heroes. They will make human errors, and inevitably, we shall cry betrayal. Instead of projecting all of our hopes into an individual, it is more sensible to focus on the boring work of building competent institutions that can outlast any particular person.
How can we avoid the cult of the hero when selecting our leaders? First, we need to evaluate people beyond popularity and charisma. We need to look at how they behave when under pressure. How do they handle criticism? How do they respond when their personal interests are at stake? It is also wise to recognise extraordinary moments and contributions without shying away from scrutiny and a recognition that we all have a part to play in creating functional and inclusive societies. As we head to elections in 2027, it is imperative for us to avoid the typical lure of believing that a single unblemished hero will fix all the ills afflicting the country.
Elijah Koome, Executive Director, Youth Advocacy Africa. Email: elijah@yaafrika.org
