Equity in public appointments sure key to happy nation

The parliamentary committee on Cohesion is set to commission a study on ethnicity in public appointments. This follows public outcry on the manner in which appointments in the public sector have been going on.

A misunderstanding within the ranks of the Jubilee coalition sparked a furore when a Member of Parliament accused one of the parties of being unfair and negating a pre-election pact between The National Alliance and United Republican Party.

That refrain was taken up by other interested parties and has remained in the public domain ever since.
At the Saba-Saba rally, one of the main issues on the Opposition’s agenda in pushing for change was favouritism in public appointments.

Parliament established the National Integration and Cohesion Act of 2008 that was reviewed in 2012 to give it a wider reach in operational terms.

Under this act, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission was formed. The Commission was given all the powers necessary for the proper performance of its functions under the Cohesion Act.

While discharging its functions, the Commission is not subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority. It is therefore not clear whether the parliamentary committee on cohesion seeks to direct the work of the commission or set up an independent team to carry out the work.

Evidently, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission has not lived up to its billing, save for the occasional public relations exercise to show it still exists.

The object and purpose for which the Commission was established was to facilitate and promote equity, good relations, harmony and peaceful co-existence between persons of different ethnic and racial communities of Kenya, and to advise the Government in all aspects that relate to this.

The Commission is empowered to dissuade people, Government institutions and bodies, political parties and associations from advocating or promoting discrimination or discriminatory practices on grounds of ethnicity.

Further, it is charged with strengthening good governance and implementation of the 2010 Constitution through emphasis on equitable access to public resources. Looked at critically, it has failed to advice the Government on the importance of equity.

Often, it has appeared like Government policy is dictated by political expediency and rewarding loyalists and cronies.
Information in the public domain confirms there has been no equity in the appointment of individuals to senior public offices.

This goes against the constitutional requirement that no public establishment shall have in its employ more than one third of its staff from one ethnic community.

While endeavouring to find whether there is ethnic balance in the public service, necessary measures should be put in place to correct the perception that the Government has gone against the provisions of the Constitution.

This perception gives rise to hate speech and vitriol so prevalent on social media. Social media has given an enlightened citizenry a platform on which to vent their frustrations. Unfortunately, the abandon with which this is done threatens to tear apart the national fabric.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has time and again threatened to charge individuals who propagate hate speech but lacks the capacity to control content on social media, short of having it shut down.