Teacher. Makau Mutua recently hinted that Kenya Airways CEO Mr. Titus Naikuni should run for president in 2012. Mr. Mutua points to his credentials at Magadi Soda and Kenya Airways. He also alludes to his short tenure in the dream team headed by former President Moi to spearhead the country’s economic growth.
In fact, many have been asking if the country needs a CEO-type president. They argue that a CEO has at least some experience running an organization worth billions of shillings and can therefore be entrusted with the task of charting the country’s destiny. In fact, many Kenyan CEOs run corporations worth billions of shillings. Therefore, they have enough experience in managing the country’s economy. Some point out that many US presidents were state governors before they were entrusted with running the US. In fact, for many former US presidents, the governorship is just a small break on the road to the White House.
Running any airline in the world is a very stressful job. One engenders a sigh of relief every day that passes without the company going under. Strikes are frequent and profit margins are slim. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see workers on strike from time to time. Kenya Airways has, in fact, had its workers on strike in the recent past and to some extent this is perhaps one of Mr. Naikuni’s faults. However, even some international airlines, such as British Airways, have experienced some industrial action, and the problem of industrial strikes seems unique to the airline industry.
However, it should be noted that running a company is not the same as running a country. What will happen when there is famine or drought? Correct population size or what? In politics, sometimes you will have to go with the majority even if it is not necessarily correct, while in business the only thing that matters is the results. Plus, there’s the connection to people and the charisma that many business personalities don’t have. How will the peasant relate to the CEO type president? These are questions begging for answers. Probably all Mr. Mutua was doing was racking his brains to look beyond the current generation of leaders to the next president.