REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS
LEAD WELL , OR VISIT THE GRAVES
By Dr . Sherriff Alabi
The Current State Of Leadership In Africa
The issue of credible and effective leadership , which goes hand-in-hand with responsible , accountable and inclusive governance has long traversed the debating circles on the African continent for several decades . The current state of affairs in Kenya with respect to the challenging events in the health , education , water and energy sectors and its immediate direct supra-impacts on society calls for major concern . Africa at large , indeed , needs fixing spatialtemporally ; a challenge that must be tackled with urgency , one country at a time , if we are to succeed as a continent .
What Effective Leadership Entails
To be a good leader , certain qualities and virtues immediately come to mind ; including but not limited to patience , empathy , justice , fairness , courage , accountability , transparency ( openness ), responsiveness , inclusiveness ( equitable ), honesty , truthfulness , decency ; the ability to earn ( not demand ) respect and admiration , embrace criticism , accept responsibility ( which go with authority ) and commit to covenants with citizens .
In true sense , having the authority alone does not entitle the leader to a loyal followership , fellowship or partnership with the citizens . An effective leader must be happy to be in the seat , be joyful at delivering the mandated responsibility and be accountable to those with whom the authority ultimately rests .
A truly happy people will not only publicly acknowledge and celebrate their leader ’ s performance , which directly positively impact their lives in a sustained manner , but also embrace patriotism and defend the nation ’ s integrity .
The leader ’ s responsibility is to both make good on the manifesto and deliver on the peoples ’ covenants – the mandates to provide and sustain inclusive and equitable access to public goods and services ; including better quality health , education , housing , water , sanitation , social welfare , active citizenry , public participation and engagement .
A happy people build a vibrant society , which breeds truly engaging followers , who perpetuate and produce future generations of credible leaders . It is most certainly impossible to be a truly successful leader where no-one is willing to follow . When leaders ( whether elected or appointed ) embrace and live by the above mantra , they demonstrate not only their willingness to work with , and for , the people but equally their readiness to play on the global stage . Time and again , we have witnessed examples of bad leaderships – where such leaders not only fail to deal with local issues at home , but completely ignore these whilst seeking a seat in a wider arena . It is just not done – not especially in the face of genuine dissension .
When a leader has demonstrated incompetence at managing domestic challenges effectively , failure is almost certainly guaranteed in a role consisting greater complexities , multi-disciplinary functions and multiple relationships . If you cannot sort out the unwanted weeds in your gardens , it would be unwise to try wielding the axe at an Iroko or Mahogany tree in the jungle – you may eventually require assistance to get out from where it falls , as you may not have a clue which direction it will land due to a lack of experience of such a skillful task .
A call to action : Wake up , Middle and Upper-Class Kenyans ! ( The Late Dr Eunice Songa-Saraceno )
In our modern day ‘ democratic ’ society ,
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