Still Waiting: How Hope Shapes Political Choices in Kenya

The audience? Citizens who’ve been let down before, but still rise to applaud. Yet, time and again, the promises fail to fully materialize after the ballots are counted. Roads remain broken. Youth remain jobless. Schools and hospitals remain underfunded. And still, the cycle repeats.

Despite broken promises that pile higher each term, Kenyans continue to buy into the same recycled dreams.

Why? According to political analyst, Dr. Michael Ndonye, speaking during a recent discussion on the Political Oracle, a segment of the Talkchat Podcast, the answer is as uncomfortable as it is revealing: Kenyans like to be lied to.

Today, politicians understand that truth doesn’t win elections. Spectacle does. They overpromise not out of ignorance, but strategy. It works. Kenyans don't punish dishonesty — they applaud it.

In his view, the problem isn’t just dishonest politicians — it’s a citizenry conditioned to crave performance over policy. Manifestos are no longer roadmaps; they’re scripts. Speeches are no longer statements of intent; they’re rehearsed lines meant to trigger emotional applause.

Aspirants know this. That’s why every campaign is louder, flashier, and more dramatic than the last — not because it’s effective governance, but because theatrics win votes.

Dr. Ndonye paints a portrait of a voter base addicted to deception. He explains that truth rarely survives in the Kenyan political market. Those who speak honestly about systemic problems or advocate for slow, realistic reform are often dismissed.

Instead, it’s the dream-sellers — those who promise overnight prosperity and instant change — who rise to the top. “They’re not rewarded for being honest. They’re rewarded for telling Kenyans what they want to hear,” he notes.

It’s a vicious cycle: the more citizens fall for the show, the better the actors get at selling it. And so, overpromising becomes tradition — not just strategy. Aspirants learn quickly that exaggeration is not a flaw, but a formula.

Additionally, he notes that Hashtags like #WeAreAllKikuyus, which may appear unifying on the surface, actually reinforce a narrative of power proximity. Dr. Ndonye sees it not as a call for unity, but as a reflection of how power is perceived.

“It’s about aligning with the percieved powerful tribe,” he notes. It’s the same psychology that once led Africans to adopt European names — a subconscious survival tactic in a system built on dominance.

Ultimately, Kenya’s political landscape reflects not just the actions of its leaders, but also the expectations and responses of its citizens. When promises are judged more by how appealing they sound than how realistic they are, political theatrics are likely to persist.

Meaningful change may require a shift — not only in how leaders campaign, but also in how the public engages with and evaluates them. Only then can the cycle of overpromising and underdelivering begin to break.