A Letter to Fred Rabongo

My good sir, allow me to informally address you and your campaign team through this forum. From the outset, allow me to express my disappointment by your performance at the Homa-bay senatorial debate last night. I have always thought you a confident and adept public speaker. And I anticipated that you would apply that same confidence and poise in the debate last night. But I’m afraid you came out a little timid and unsure of yourself and the points you were trying to put across. This can only translate to the fact that you and your team did not prepare adequately for the debate. The reasons are only known to you.

Let it also be known that it was a grave mistake to join the rest of the panel in launching attacks at Moses, ODM and the county government. Yes, it is true all the accusations leveled against the afore-mentioned. Nevertheless, you and your team should know that formal debates is the wrong platform to direct attacks at your opponents and their perceived weaknesses. That is something better left for the noisy political rallies. For in your collective attacks on Moses, you inadvertently and unwittingly bequeathed to him a huge chunk of the debating time. The more collectively attacked, the more he was given time to respond to your allegations. Consequently he gained 'visibility' in simply responding to your accusations. Meanwhile, his restraint from attacking the whole lot of you succeeded in painting him the 'innocent' who had to bravely bear the brunt of his bitter elders.

Remember that one time he threw back an inescapable  rejoinder at you that you were in the same ODM (that you were busy castigating) till a month ago? Well, he had you!

Sir, we all know that the best strategy in public debates is to try as much as possible to draw the spotlight away from your opponent and instead focus it on yourself. In marketing yourself. In making yourself conspicuous, not  in the manner our combative professor did, but in a calm, composed and sure-footed manner with which Moses did. Even if he was merely bullshiting. He ran away with the debate trophy.

I have been an admirer and supporter of yours even though we have never met. That is because you espouse qualities desirable in a leader. And due to the civil, organized and issue based manner in which you have been campaigning without having to resort to driving your opponents names through the mud. It made you a candidate I would vote for without minding the party tickets upon which you campaign on.

So what made you revert to doing what you did last night? Could it be because of the pressure to have the audience clap for you just as they did to those attaking Moses, ODM and the county government? I hope not even though it seems that way. Please Leave the attacking to your political attack dogs in your team as you put more emphasis on your strengths.

Yours sincerely,
Potential Voter.