YVONNE'S TAKE: Political fog - A hiker's guide

The campaign has begun. Not officially. Not according to the electoral calendar. But anyone paying attention can already feel it.

The slogans are here. The political arithmetic has begun. The promises have started flowing. The insults have become more frequent. Every week, there is another rally. Another declaration. Another accusation. Another viral clip. Another hashtag. Another reason to be angry.

We are still more than a year away from an election. There is nothing unusual about politics becoming louder as elections approach. That is democracy. But there is a difference between political debate... and political noise.

Debate helps citizens make choices. Noise makes it harder to think. If you've found yourself exhausted by it all... you're probably not alone.

Politics now follows us everywhere. Into our churches. Into our workplaces. Into family WhatsApp groups. Into markets. Into our social media feeds.

Every conversation risks becoming a political contest. Every disagreement risks becoming a partisan one. Perhaps that is the point.

Because when citizens become emotionally exhausted, they become intellectually vulnerable. They stop asking difficult questions. They begin accepting easy answers.

A slogan replaces a policy. A personality replaces an institution. An insult replaces an argument. As citizens, we owe ourselves something better.

When someone promises transformation, ask how. When someone boasts about their record, verify it. When someone says they have the numbers, ask what they intend to do with them. When someone asks you to fear another Kenyan because of their tribe, ask what problem that solves.

When someone says, "Trust me"... ask why. Because in an election season, every politician is competing for your vote.

But before they can win your vote, many will first compete for your attention. Don't confuse the two. The months ahead will test more than our politics.

They will test our discipline. Our patience. Our ability to think before we react. To question before we share. To listen before we choose.

Democracy does not only depend on politicians telling the truth. It also depends on citizens refusing to be manipulated.

The loudest voice is not always the wisest. The most repeated slogan is not always the best idea. And the politician who dominates today's headlines may not be the one who deserves tomorrow's vote.

So perhaps, over the coming months, the greatest act of citizenship will not be speaking louder than everyone else. It will be listening more carefully. 

That is their job. Our job is different. Our job is to see through the noise. To separate performance from purpose. To distinguish slogans from substance. To remember that elections are not won the day we cast our ballots.