Nasa supporters in London [Photo/kenyans.co.ke]
Have you ever driven a vehicle with a certain passenger who seems to know what the driver should do every time?
For example, You are in the middle of concentrating on the road and the passenger, usually at the back, says, ‘Watch out for that lorry’ or ‘stop riding the brakes’ or ‘check your side mirrors’ or ‘you are not driving a matatu!’
Well, these type of passengers are very annoying to the driver and are often referred to as back-seat drivers. They seem to know more about driving than the actual driver doing the driving.
Using this analogy and referring to the current political climate in Kenya, one can conclude that Kenyans in the diaspora are terrible backseat politicians. The most notorious are those living in the U.S and the U.K.
Their comments on facebook, twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram can make one assume that they are the direct political advisors to our very own local politicians.
Kenyans in the diaspora are the first to call out Hon. Uhuru on his alleged impunity. They are also the first to declare Hon. Raila as the president of the people of Kenya via twitter. They are also the first to hurl unmentionable insults at each other via various social media platforms.
What one fails to understand, is why the same Kenyans who are so loud on social media, fail to travel back to vote here in Kenya. With the current constitution, such journeys are entirely unnecessary for they can vote at their nearest Kenyan consulate.
Estimates show that the population of Kenyans living abroad is approximately 3 million. (I believe it is around 5 million.)
However, those registered at their respective consulates are only 130,000. Of this number, less than 5,000 are registered to vote.
Now, with these numbers, one is left to wonder if the so-called patriotic Kenyans living abroad deserve to comment on any issues regarding Kenya since they do not even vote or care to register themselves at the consulate.
It is a worthy argument to state that a voter’s card should be a requirement for anyone who wants to post anything critical about Kenya on social media. Those who do not vote or who have never registered should be a mum like a mummy in the Pyramids of Gaza!
One is tempted to attack Kenyans in the diaspora by stating that many are living under assumed identities, expired visas and that they have some sort of criminal records, yet they are the experts on all things Kenyan on social media!