Politricks

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After years of thumbing chalk, the celebrated teacher, Mr Gateru, retired. He retired in a ceremony of a kind, for he was more than an educator, but served in many leadership roles in the local community, and far. His impact was felt, and regaled by the many of the pupils he moulded and who today are scattered both locally and abroad. 

He is celebrated more than a hero.

It was while giving his retirement speech that he assured the community and the teaching fraternity that he wasn't going to retire to a life of penury or fade into oblivion but that his leadership was to be felt in a different way. He was going to contest in the upcoming elections for a parliamentary seat.

"It's time to widen the scope of my leadership to represent you in a different capacity than in locally limited roles," he hinted as everyone cheered and clapped happily.

The news of his political interest was received by the wannabe and seasoned politicians alike, and especially the incumbent, as a direct challenge. They tried every trick in the book to nip his political ambitions including cooking all manners of propaganda to dissuade him, given his fame preceded his name, and he was milking advantage of it to market his candidacy.

Politics need deep resources, especially during high octane campaigns. Many of those he nurtured and were successful in their fields of endeavours formed social media groups aimed at pooling campaign resources. The bulk of contributions were from those abroad. 

The reality politicians are seen as ones with solutions to practical everything hit him hard. Calls to offset medical bills or funeral expenses were nearly the order of the day. A family living in squalor conditions needed a decent shelter, and who was best positioned to provide one if not him?

Youths needed jobs not handouts. Where he could not provide them with work tools, he enrolled them to a technical college for career training.

Here's how it went. Given he couldn't cater all youth empowerment demands as they came, he approached director of a college to cut deals. Those enrolled for various courses were graduating in record time, such that a course that can be undertaken in six months took only weeks if not a single calendar month to complete. Driving courses for all classes of vehicles, for example, would be done in under a week at most. These half-baked graduates had to be retooled elsewhere if they were to fit in the job market. Those who could not are to be seen at shopping centers or in wines and spirits shops wasting away as no employer prioritizing on one's experience than on paper qualifications can hire them.

If Mr Gateru knew politics can mess an entire young generation, perhaps he'd have taken them to government accredited public vocational training centers than cutting corners with private colleges where training looked like a military boot camp with trainees expected to master everything within days and be deployed to the warfront.

Politics needs one with a strong ground command and mobilization skills. Fame alone could not qualify for same. When it came to logistics, communication and propaganda, his opponents were ahead. For one move he made, the opponent would outsmart, outfox and outclass him.

He couldn't punch below the belt in the murky world of politics. But fame was still his selling currency.

Opinion on ground was in his favour. Social spaces populated with posts projecting him as the next legislator. 

Elections day finally came.

He saw the legendary bird with an udder at the ballot.

A distant third finish.

Like any Arsenal fan, he consoles himself next time it'll be his turn.

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