The public life of a public servant

Before they get into office, politicians are accessible. Not just physically, but also in giving information about their lives. They tell the electorate about their childhood. How they grew up in the same villages as them, went to the same schools, worked in the same places and hey, some even married from a family well known to the public.

This gets more intense during the campaign period as each of them struggle to become relatable. They walk into crowds oblivious of their security and shake hands with the public, kissing babies while at it. Their photographers stand on guard, so keen to take photos of them leaning in, listening to the woes of the electorate. All in a bid to reaffirm that “I am here for you. I am one of you. You can trust me with this seat.”

But then the elections come and once they get elected, the rules change. They now ride in big cars with security officers who elbow anyone who tries to come close to mheshimiwa. Now the public must go through a chain of people to get to them. What the public terms as a nuisance they call 'protocol'.

Which then breeds confusion in the mind of the public. It becomes hard to understand why the rules of the game changed. Why aren’t they allowed to have access to mheshimiwa? Why aren’t they let into their private lives? And what is wrong with asking where the spouse who appeared joined to mheshimiwa’s hip during the election disappear to?

This is the situation Nakuru residents found themselves in when Governor Susan Kihika disappeared from the public eye for slightly over a month. There was no explanation which gave room to wild speculations. And when she resurfaced, she gave nothing away.

While many argue that she must explain her absence, others ask, is the life of a public servant public? To what extent must a public servant share their private life and more importantly, is there any privacy?

Well, it is up to the public servants to strike a balance and find a way to tame the entitled 'monster' they created during the campaigns. Many politicians have lost their seats for simply being termed ‘aloof’. Only those who know how to balance when to let the public in and when to shut them out, survive.

The life of a public servant is a public affair

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