In his book The Social Contract, Jean-Jacques Rousseau observed that ‘despotism is a relationship of dependency between the ruler and the ruled, and is sustained by the people’s acceptance – or their silence’.
This idea feels particularly relevant in Kenya today. We keep talking about poor leadership, and rightly so. Every election cycle brings new faces, fresh slogans and recycled promises. Yet the outcome rarely changes.
Bad leadership is prevalent throughout our institutions. The truth is uncomfortable: bad leaders are not created by ambition or flawed elections alone. They survive because we allow them to through our support, excuses or silence.
Power does not belong to leaders alone. Ordinary citizens play a role, too. Sometimes we cheer them on and defend them. Other times, we stay quiet. Either way, we participate. Bad leadership is not just the fault of one powerful individual; it is a shared social condition shaped by all of us, whether we like it or not.
Consider how we talk. We exaggerate our leaders’ achievements. We make excuses for their failures. Sometimes, criticising ‘our leader’ can feel dangerous or disrespectful, especially if they are from a particular region or belong to a certain political party.
This is how the ‘Pharaoh’ is created. Not by force alone, but through words, stories and repeated justifications. In societies trapped in bad leadership, power does not only flow from the top. It is also sustained by the normalised habits of handouts, tribal loyalty and the idea that ‘it’s our turn to eat now’. Over time, leadership stops being guided by principles and becomes a social routine. This is when we defend our ‘own’, even when they are wrong. We are not protecting leadership but an illusion. Long before leadership becomes a burden to the people, the people have already become a burden to themselves.
Bad leaders are strengthened by our praise. It starts with celebrating every achievement and excusing every mistake. Slowly, criticism becomes taboo. Speaking out is labelled as betrayal. We then crown tyranny.
A bad leader knows how to shape their image. They present themselves as fathers and even saviours.
They tell citizens that the alternative is always worse – that change means chaos and that loyalty means applause. Keeping a bad leader in power is then presented as a national duty, rather than acknowledging it for the problem that it truly is. The real danger is not the leader, but the mindset he creates.