Why Mukhisa Kituyi's #MbeleSawa Slogan is Ludicrous Non-starter

Mukhisa Kituyi during a past event. (Photo/Courtesy)

Immediate Former United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) secretary general Mukhisa Kituyi on Sunday jetted back to the country and immediately announced his 2022 presidential bid.

The 65-year-old former Trade and Industries minister under President Mwai Kibaki alluded to his international experience among other things, as what places him best to become Kenya's fifth President. 

"I am ready to serve the country owing to my international experience. It is no longer a secret. I will be going for the presidency in 2022. Nobody should tell us who to support. We need a president who will save this country and Kenyans from a bad economy," Kituyi is quoted by a local daily as saying. 

While Kituyi is perhaps the best President that Kenya can ever have from among those who have so far declared their bids, it is the campaign slogan (#MbeleSawa) he seems to have adopted on day one, that leaves a lot to be desired. 

#MbeleSawa, #MbeleIkoSawa or whatever you want to call it, is nothing but a cliché that a person of Kituyi's caliber should not be associating with, leave alone adopt as a serious presidential campaign rallying call. 

If my memory serves me right, the Swahili phrase was a Total Rubia diesel engine oil marketing campaign tag in or around 2013 before uncreative politicians pounced on it and made it appear like their original creation. 

The cliché  is also a common feature in street-talk conversations while describing curvaceous women with voluptuous chests.

Therefore, for Kituyi to adopt the old chestnut as a campaign slogan has the effect of portraying him as one who's uncreative and lacking in minimum basics, without even mentioning the complexities of running government.  

In fact,  the slogan is so ludicrous that one cannot help but remember another stillbirth of a slogan (Tunawesmake) which was employed by Peter Kenneth in his 2013 presidential campaign. 

Tunawesmake, a corrupted sheng' version of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign slogan 'Yes We Can', was in Kenneth's attempt to appeal to youthful voters but it boomeranged and ended up making him a laughing stock on social media. 

So, is it time for Kituyi's campaign to rethink the tired slogan? Time will tell.