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RESPONSIBLE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP
Jephthah K. Gathaka, KenyaIntroduction
In this paper we intend to look at what constitutes responsible
political leadership. We first explore the definitions so that we may be
able to clearly state our conceptual perspective and reduce misunder-
standing, considering that words mean different things and connote
different ideas in different times and different contexts. What do we
understand to be the meaning of politics, leadership and responsibil-
ity? It is my intention, after looking at the definitions, to discuss what
I consider to be the essential virtuesand valuesin political leadership
for it to be regarded as responsible. It should be noted from the begin-
ning that this is an issue of ethics, in which a diversity of perspectives
and opinions is possible. In applied ethics, what some people may con-
sider to be moral may not be accepted as such by others.
- What is Politics?
According to Max Weber, ‘politics is striving for a share of power
or for influence on the distribution of power, whether it be between
states or between the groups of people contained within a single
state.’^1 Thus politics has to do with interests in the distribution,
preservation or transfer of power as the decisive role in determining
the decision defining the sphere of activity ; anyone engaged in poli-
tics is striving for power, either power as means to attain other goals
(which may be ideal or selfish), or power for its own sake, which is to
say, in order to enjoy the feeling of prestige by power.’
In this discussion therefore, we will explore how leaders are
expected to behave to demonstrate that they are responsibly striv-
ing not only in the distribution of power among the citizens and
other leaders, but also in distributing resources equitably among
the electorate.
- What is Leadership?
In his book Kenya African Nationalism, Daniel Arap Moi (the
former president of the Republic of Kenya), writes :