So “dictator” Kagame is most popular African leader, democracy is STRANGE indeed!

When the so called counter-Arab spring swept Egypt, ushering in Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, reports at the time said “millions” of protestors had flocked the streets. On face value, he emerged as a leader the country had been waiting for.

The same happened with Senegal. The most recent case is that of Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria. New leader Muhammadu Buhari has come along in Uncle Sam media as the angel Nigerians deserve. During the grueling campaign, Buhari came out as somebody who is going to wish away the terror group Boko Haram.

Not so fast! But then how come the Egyptian and Nigerian leaders have remained on the back-banner on the world biggest nations; Twitter and Facebook.

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, the punching-bag of western journalists and agenda-driven “human rights” groups, who have branded him with all sorts of names, is the preferred choice for ordinary people who are tired of the status quo. The latest Twitter stats show Kagame is the first leader on the entire 54-nation continent to attract more than a million followers.

Compare him to Egypt’s President Sisi has less than 500 followers on Twitter, while Buhari can barely raise 300,000. Even his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan was unable to woo as many followers.

Why would the “dictator” be the best choice all the ordinary folks out there want to associate with? Why do Kenyans want him for “just a year”, as one put it. How come the Burundians are running to Rwanda in their tens of thousands because their leaders cannot provide them what Rwandans take for granted.

In Congo, the villagers who go daily to rotting and dilapidated facilities their government calls “hospitals”, the thought of Rwanda where treatment is free, makes them detest their leaders. Save for the internet hooligans, a vast majority of Congolese cry to have Kagame in Kinshasa bringing some sanity into the nation.

With the Kenyans, perhaps some may be writing “Kagame” on their ballots instead of wasting their votes. Kenyan media cannot have enough of the Rwandan leader. West Africans, who have to travel long distances to get to Dubai – then came RwandAir, wonder why they cannot have a Kagame-photocopy.

For Tanzania, recently, two commenters including one of the 20 presidential candidates got to social media to pour out their frustration with the current dispensation. The presidential aspirant put it to those in the discussion that Kagame can manage Tanzania with just the economy of Dar es Salaam. What he was saying is imagine if Kagame can have resources like Tanzania does, suffering would be a thing of the past.

A Tanzanian businessman went an extra mile. He knows how much the Kagame brand rings with ordinary you and me; he named his 8-storeyed hotel “Kagame Hotel”. When the news emerged recently, it was no brainer why the businessman took up the choice.

Kagame may be the subject of intense scrutiny from the few noisy voices, but walk around Rwanda or to places that have heard about the transformation he has brought, and if you are Rwandan, will know why this country is lucky.

It is that a media in Rwanda rightly called; Kagamecracy!