Master of the Game: The Hidden Strategies Keeping Politicians in Control

Social Media: The New Political Battlefield

Social media has become a powerful propaganda tool. Politicians hire influencers, bloggers, and digital strategists to push narratives that shape public perception.

Take the recent SHA scandal, where a blogger admitted to being paid to falsely promote the government’s social health program. This revelation exposed a broader trend, many influencers are compensated to amplify propaganda, not facts. During the 2022 elections, Twitter (now X) was flooded with trending hashtags, some organic, others manufactured, to sway public opinion. Political parties spent millions to dominate online conversations, making it harder for young voters to access unbiased information.

WhatsApp Groups: Political Echo Chambers

Beyond platforms like Twitter and TikTok, WhatsApp groups have become breeding grounds for misinformation in Kenya. Political messages—often unverified—circulate widely, shaping opinions and reinforcing biases based on ethnicity or party affiliation rather than informed policy discussions.

Currently, discussions about potential candidates for the 2027 gubernatorial elections are widespread. However, many of those promoting these candidates lack concrete manifestos outlining their policies and delivery strategies. Since the official campaign period has not yet begun, how can voters make informed, manifesto-based decisions?

During the 2022 elections, many youth received manipulated messages designed to rally support without actual scrutiny of candidates’ manifestos. The result? An electorate driven by emotion rather than informed choice.

Development Projects: Election Bait-and-Switch

Development initiatives in Kenya are often used as political tools rather than genuine efforts to improve citizens' lives. Politicians launch high-profile projects to win public support, frequently aligning them with election cycles rather than long-term development goals.

The Constituency Development Fund (CDF), intended to support grassroots projects, has been plagued by mismanagement and corruption. While it has contributed to infrastructure development, concerns remain over the equitable distribution of resources and the actual impact on local communities.

Every election season, roads are hastily repaired, boreholes dug, and stadiums constructed, yet many of these projects stall or deteriorate once votes are secured, exposing the cycle of election-driven development that prioritizes political survival over sustainable progress.

 Funds meant for grassroots development often disappear, leaving communities struggling with unemployment and poor infrastructure.

Scandals and the Art of Political Survival

The Kenyan political landscape has been marred by numerous corruption scandals, with several implicated leaders ascending to or retaining elective positions, particularly during the era of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto. Notable instances include:

Arror and Kimwarer Dams Scandal; This involved the misappropriation of funds intended for their construction. The Italian firm CMC di Ravenna received substantial payments but never began work. High-profile figures, including former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich and Principal Secretary Kamau Thugge, were implicated. Despite facing charges, Thugge was later nominated and approved as Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya in 2023, underscoring the persistence of political careers despite corruption allegations.

The National Youth Service (NYS) scandal;  This scandal in Kenya implicated several high-profile figures, including Anne Waiguru and Kipchumba Murkomen.

As Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning, Waiguru oversaw the NYS during a period when approximately KSh. 791 million was misappropriated. She denied involvement and later transitioned to politics, becoming Governor of Kirinyaga County in 2017. She was re-elected in 2022 and continues to serve in that role.

Kipchumba Murkomen, then a senator, was accused of receiving KSh. 15 million through his law firm from entities linked to the NYS scandal. Despite the allegations, he advanced politically and currently serves as the Cabinet Secretary for interior and national administration.

Emotional Voting: A Trap for the Youth

Kenyan politicians excel at emotional appeal, delivering powerful speeches and addressing relatable struggles to win public support. They promise transformative change, but once in power, personal and political interests often take precedence over public welfare.

A striking example is the 2022 elections, where William Ruto’s "Hustler" narrative cast him as a champion of the youth and economically marginalized, pledging sweeping economic reforms. However, after assuming office, his administration faced backlash for policies that contradicted his campaign promises, including increased taxation and a rising cost of living—exposing the familiar cycle of political rhetoric versus reality.

Political Parties: Clubs for the Powerful

In Kenya, party loyalty and governance are so closely linked that they often weaken accountability. The people who are supposed to keep leaders in check, like MCAs and MPs, are often from the same political party as the governor or president they should be monitoring. Instead of questioning decisions and ensuring leaders serve the public, they end up protecting their party bosses.

Think of it like this: If a football referee is on the same team as one of the players, do you really think they'll call fouls fairly? Probably not. That’s exactly what happens in politics, officials put party interests above the needs of the people, making it hard to expose corruption or bad leadership. As a result, leaders who should be held accountable get away with mismanagement, and the cycle continues.

 When the entire system is complicit, who holds power to account?

Breaking the Cycle: What Can Young Voters Do?

Kenyan youth have the numbers to change the country’s politics, but that won’t happen if we keep voting based on emotions, tribalism, or social media hype. Real change requires informed decisions, demanding accountability, and pushing for leaders who serve the people, not themselves.  

Misinformation is everywhere, especially on social media and WhatsApp. Instead of believing every political forward or viral post, we must fact-check, follow credible sources, and vote based on competence, not party loyalty. A leader who fails should not be rewarded with re-election. Beyond voting, youth must stay involved, attend public forums, demand transparency, and push for issue-based politics.  

Recent events have shown that youth activism works. In 2024, protests against corruption and high taxation forced the government to retract unfair tax measures and dissolve the cabinet. At the Africa Youth Forum, young people demanded greater involvement in decision-making, proving that the youth voice matters.  

But challenges remain. The government has cracked down on protests, sometimes violently, proving that pushing for change isn’t easy. High unemployment is also driving many young people abroad, which may solve personal financial struggles but does little to fix systemic issues at home.  

The future is in our hands. To break the cycle, we must stay engaged, use social media wisely to spread facts, not propaganda, and even step into leadership roles ourselves. Change won’t happen if we sit back and complain every election cycle. It’s time to act.

The choice is simple: either we push for real reforms, leaders with clear plans and integrity, or we allow the same broken system to continue. If we don't take charge, history will repeat itself, and we’ll keep complaining about bad governance every election cycle.