'We need to create the leaders we want'

I would imagine that we are all familiar with the maxim that 'societies get the leaders they deserve'. Being Kenyan myself, I have often wondered as I watch the twists and turns that Kenya goes through, what it is that Kenyans have done to deserve what they have in terms of leaders. While I do not have a ready answer to this question, I often think that so long as there is some learning happening, so long as there is a semblance of forward movement, we must continue to hope, to be vigilant and play our part where this is necessary and to encourage growth at all levels - both of ourselves, the organizations we work for and our leaders.

Some months back, we had reason to celebrate change. We attributed the change to many factors, not least of these the efforts that many NGOs are credited with in civic education and encouraging participation, which we saw as finally paying off. The 'feel good factor' was higher in Kenya than anywhere else in the world, at a certain moment in time.

Months later many Kenyans are on the verge of despair. This is understandable. Yet, we all feel strongly about Kenya and the potential she holds. I doubt that Kenyans have the same faith in their leaders as they had at the critical moment that change took place a while ago. It is clear that there has been a major breach of contract between Kenyans and their leaders. Can we do anything about that? I think we can - and we must. But we have to put our house in order first.

Having been literally 'brought up' in the NGO sector, I often use NGOs as the basic vantage point from which I perceive the world around me. Where Kenya is concerned I usually look back with pride at the proactive way in which the sector managed to change the NGO Act of 1990 into the kind of legislation that the sector could live with - as opposed to the draconian piece of legislation it had been intended to be. This involved the entire sector and many of us were greatly inspired by the demonstrated sacrifice and determination that went into creating the change we all wanted to see. I am aware that many things have changed over a decade later, but I fear that the change has not always been entirely positive. I was encouraged therefore to learn about the 'Okoa' effort and to note the determination that those who see the potential of the Council have put into reclaiming the ownership of the Council with the presumed intention of giving it the kind of leadership it deserves. I just wanted to applaud this effort and to let those who are involved know that they are doing duty that will have an important place in the history of the NGO movement in Kenya. If indeed we get the leaders we deserve, then we have to admit the momentary lapse that led to the leadership we ended up with in the sector and the attempt to correct this anomaly is only laudable. We have learnt important lessons and will hopefully be the wiser for them.

I would like to suggest that our complacency and sometimes self righteous attitude - our reluctance to get involved in what we see as petty politics or jostling for leadership has put us in trouble. We need to create the leaders we want and imbue them with a sense of accountability, because we placed them there. This is a real defining moment for the NGO Council.