By Collins Odhiambo, Nairobi, Kenya
On the picture Collins Odhiambo, Nairobi, Kenya
Today I visited a Municipality Hall where I met an only 22 year old politician from the Social Democratic Party. What a surprise! In Kenya nobody will accept a young Bachelor to represent them, because experience is measured with age, the older you are the more experience you are expected to have. According to the young politician, politics in Denmark is neither a career nor a way to make money, rather a service to people. To me this is a huge difference, Politicians in Kenya are the wealthiest, and can choose not to pay taxes.
More surprising to me was when he mentioned that the reason why the Danish society would elect younger persons to elective posts was because the ordinary citizens can’t be bribed or coerced to vote for a particular candidate who people don’t like. This is a sharp contrast to Kenya where bribery and threats during elections are the order of the day.
I have to admit that the visit to the Municipality has changed my perception of politics in general. And I hope that my people back at home will borrow a leaf from Denmark and start to elect politicians because of their policies and not because of the size of their wallets. The world needs fresh and innovative minds and this can only be got in our youths. I believe youths have so much to offer to the people and if they were given a chance in leadership positions, we would see a better world.
On the picture: Peace, Rachel, Gonzalo, Saumu, Collins and Samba