The failure of leadership at the county level in Kenya remains one of the clearest indicators of a deeper national governance crisis. Devolution was meant to empower localised governance and drive people-centred development. Instead, many county governments have become synonymous with waste, mismanagement, and lost opportunity.

Auditor General reports consistently reveal that most counties spend disproportionately on recurrent expenditure, with little to show in transformative development. The few counties that once showed promise, such as Makueni under Governor Kivutha Kibwana, stand in sharp contrast to the prevailing poor performance across the rest of the country. This is where our leadership challenge is most visible and urgent.

At its core, leadership is not about visibility but purpose, moral clarity, and public service. A true leader does not need to be dramatic or loud to be effective. Leadership is the ability to guide others through vision and values, to make decisions anchored in the public good, and to sacrifice personal ambition for collective well-being. When leadership loses this foundation, it descends into self-promotion and transactional politics. In many parts of Kenya today, we witness a distortion of leadership into spectacle, where those elected appear more concerned with maintaining media presence than delivering on their mandate.

A visionary leader sees beyond the next election cycle, plans for the future, invests in systems, and empowers others. This kind of leadership is rare, but not unknown. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Nelson Mandela of South Africa offer profound examples in Africa's post-colonial history. Nyerere led with humility and a clear ideological compass, advocating for education, self-reliance, and pan-African solidarity. Mandela embodied reconciliation, nation-building, and principled resilience. These leaders did not rely on populist theatrics, they were grounded in a deep sense of purpose and anchored by the long-term interests of their people.

In the Kenyan context, we have seen glimpses of such leadership. Kibwana’s administration in Makueni demonstrated that even within a flawed system, ethical and consultative leadership can deliver results. His approach emphasised transparency, citizen engagement, and prudent resource use. Yet such examples remain isolated. Our political culture often sidelines competent, visionary individuals in favour of those who are loud, well-connected, or financially endowed. This is a reflection of leadership failure and the environment we create as a society where the wrong traits are rewarded.

Part of the issue lies in how we, as citizens, make electoral decisions. Often, we prioritise personality over policy, ethnicity over ethics, and handouts over ideas. As a result, we choose individuals who lack the vision and moral compass to lead. This dynamic fuels the Dunning-Kruger effect, where those least equipped to lead are most confident in their pursuit of power, while those with competence and integrity are pushed to the margins. It is not that good leaders do not exist, it is that our system too often discourages and disincentivises them.

Shifting this dynamic will begin with rethinking what leadership stands for in public life. Leadership can be understood not as a privilege, but as a responsibility grounded in ethical conduct. Emmanuel Kant’s categorical imperative offers valuable guidance here: Act only according to that maxim which you would will to become a universal law. Applied to leadership, this principle invites leaders to act with integrity even when no one is watching, and to make decisions not because they are politically convenient, but because they are morally sound. Leaders guided by such a framework do not exploit public office; they elevate it through consistent, principled action.

Renewing leadership calls for collective reflection and deliberate civic choices. It may not be enough to focus on manifestos or campaign strategies, vital as they are. What could make a difference is how we, as citizens, assess the values, track records, and vision of those seeking public office. If we hope to see leaders who serve with humility, sacrifice for the common good, and build for future generations, creating room for such individuals to emerge becomes part of our shared responsibility. The kind of future we shape, in the end, reflects the kind of leadership we encourage and support.