Lure of big money is not enough to make African dictators change

By Kenneth Kwama

At the height of his tumultuous reign, former Zaire President Mobutu Sese Seko named himself Kuku Ngbendu wa Zabanga (the cock that leaves no hen untouched).

True to his name, the man had a reputation for seeking sexual favours among the wives of political associates. His tenure was marked by torture, killing of opponents and corruption that funnelled much of his country’s wealth into his coffers.

Yet, during his reign, the universities in his country jostled to fete him. The late Congolese crooner Franco Luambo Makiadi, even composed a song praising his leadership.

But what satisfaction could a man possibly get from forced praise, from basking in glory he knows to be false, from being cushioned in a cuddle of lies?

Praise can only be genuine if it is freely given. To be forced to praise and flatter is a humiliation that only people with absolute power like Mobutu could inflict. Making people endure the boredom of endless dull speeches or praises is a feat only ‘great’ leaders can achieve.

Former Botswana President Festus Mogae was this year’s winner of Mo Ibrahim award for good leadership. He will pocket $5m (Sh400 million) over 10 years and $200,000 (Sh16 million) each year for life thereafter.

The award, set up by and named after the Sudanese billionaire, is awarded only to a president who democratically transfers power to his successor. Harvard University does the assessment to see how well the president has served his or her people.

By the time of Mobutu’s death, there were various accounts of his wealth. Conservative estimates put his wealth portfolio at $8 billion (Sh640 billion), about the size of Kenya’s annual budget.

Do you think the ‘peanuts’ Mo is offering for good leadership would have been enough to lure Mobutu out of the throngs of power? I do not think so.

Mo’s idea is noble, but it does not have the appeal to lure the targeted group. Honestly, the amount is not enough to induce Libyan President Muammar Gadaffi, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe or even Sudan’s Omar Bashir out of power. They do not fail to tell us about the freedom they have granted their citizens and how serious they are about human rights and ideals of democracy.

Yet we see them defile the ideals with alarming frequency, right under our noses.

That most African leaders have amassed enough wealth to last their great grandchildren is not in doubt. The real incentive should be guaranteed asylum for dictators who voluntarily step down.

Without the immunity clause, the prize risks becoming irrelevant because soon the panel will have to choose from a myriad competing dictators and to get a winner will be bad for democracy.

—Kwama ([email protected]) is a Senior writer with The Standard.