A Vote Delayed Is a Future Decided

It is almost poetic and a bit of irony that the youth take everything but the system so seriously, which is silently molding most of the things they are hating on.

We will argue, squabble, talk passionately and insistently about music, relationships, money, purpose, and even the meaning of life at 2 a.m. However, with regard to "Kukua Kadi" it is suddenly quite the reverse, It doesn't matter, or They're all the same anyway. It is an amusing paradox that we mistrust the system and leave it in the hands of those who mistrust it to the extent that they turn up.

Registration of voters is not thrilling. It doesn't trend. No one claps for you. It has no aesthetic about it, no immediate satisfaction. It is merely a shape, a contour, an action. Below that simplicity is some sort of silent power: the one that does not scream but sets the results throughout any period. And perhaps, that is why it should be neglected. We do not feel powerful and therefore assume it is not.

However, consider it, all aspects of your life, including education, employment, and the cost of living did not come out of nowhere. It was decided. And it was people who turned up to vote, either directly or indirectly, who influenced those decisions, or those who did not.

It is even this kind of arrogance that many of our youths bring along, not necessarily purposefully, but still, it exists. The supposition of the system being irreparable, that any involvement is hopeless. However, somehow the same system works, enacts bills, levies taxes and determines facts. And then, since it is really broken, the more awkward question would be: who leaves it that way?

Since not voting is not rebellion but it is withdrawal. And retreat does not oppose power; rather it just leaves it room to act unhindered.

Always the old excuse, of course, it won't make a difference with my one vote. And that is sensible on the surface. But it also silently presupposes that millions of other people will think otherwise and should support you. It is a weird form of optimism that hides under apathy. In Kenya, it is to be remembered that a president needs 50 percent of votes along with 1, failure to which he/she will not occupy the office.

That is the deeper level: voting is not about trusting politicians to a certain extent but to trust your own agency. It is not a statement that the options are ideal, it is a recognition that there is still imperfection which needs involvement. The fact is systems do not become better when no-one engages with them, they respond to the amount of pressure that is put on them.

And young people? They are pressure. Concepts, dynamism, discontent, outlook and that is where change comes in. However, the pressure that does not present itself where decisions are made is nothing but noise.

Voter registration is then more philosophical than political. It poses a non-complicated yet awkward question: would you prefer to be a viewer of reality, or be a part of its creation?

Since eventually the world is not going to stop and wait until you have the perfect candidate. It proceeds with him with whom they elected to take up their voice, however insignificant, and use it.

And not to mention, there is some sense of irony in lamenting about a future that you did not even bother to change.