Smarting from startling revelations of high-level corruption, two scandals this week sum up how low the bad behaviour of our elected leaders in Parliament has sunk.
A sensational claim of sexual assault and an attempted rape of a fellow Member of Parliament was one fault too much for the august House, which citizens look up to for leadership.
The oft-repeated mantra that the people deserve the leaders they elect does not hold.
In this case, the people deserve better. But the embarrassment the leaders have served them lately leaves a lot to be desired.
In truth, the rate of moral decadence in society is alarming when those whom we look up to for leadership turn out to be wolves in sheepskin. And not for the first time have those holding high offices come under scrutiny for the wrong reasons. From theft and corruption, to abuse of office, to rape and murder, our leadership drips with utter shame. But reports of sexual assault must concern all, including their self-respecting peers.
At the centre of the storm is Imenti Central Member of Parliament, Gideon Mwiti and another first-time MP from the Rift Valley who is alleged to have sexually assaulted fellow legislator Joyce Lay while on a trip to Japan with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In February, Francis Munyua, the Juja MP, was investigated over claims of sexual harassment after he allegedly fired a female CDF worker who had rejected his sexual advances. The case is still under police investigation.
At the county level, Kuria MCA Lucas Masa Hura is serving time for rape while Kiambu MCA Jackson Njuguna is in court facing rape charges. These might be the only reported cases because the victims had the courage to do so.
Rape is used as a weapon in war, says Amnesty International. Rape is used to perpetuate social control.
Sexual assault is thus an abuse of power and authority. The woman is powerless in the equation. What is more, a woman who has been raped often must face "emotional torment, psychological damage, physical injuries, disease, social ostracism," says Amnesty. Consequences that devastate her life.
Over time there have been reports of young women being lured to Nairobi on the pretext of being given jobs by some Members of Parliament only to be sexually abused. The cases above, if proven, could just be the tip of the iceberg because so much could be going on beneath the surface.
Yet besides the sexual abuse claims, MPs have engaged in actions that demean the offices they hold. For example, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission has castigated legislators for "propagating hate messages against communities and individuals" based on their cultures instead of preaching national unity.
That is evident from the obscenities uttered in public and the fights in debating chambers in the full glare of the public.
In the fullness of time, it will be up to the citizens to say enough is enough and elect people to leadership positions whose morality is beyond reproach.
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