Elusive integrity: Voters' thirst to get authentic leaders yet to be quenched

The belief that Kenyans do not care for the values status of a leader is a myth that vice peddlers would want to propagate. Morality matters and Kenyans care! Kenyans loathe gangsterism. They do not like people who rob them. They detest being lied to and taken for a ride. They dislike rough leadership.

Even when they vote in people of questionable character, it is not because they approve wickedness but because the said leaders seem to posses some qualities that appear redemptive say, fighting for and standing with the poor.

People elect such a leaders hoping that the championing for the poor will dominate well enough to drown the wicked side. This often fails. The thirst in Kenyans to have authentic leaders is yet to be quenched.

Kenya is not short of ideas. It is short of values. The flood of great ideas is countered by a severe integrity drought. Values are the clean hands in which good ideas thrive. Vices are the messy hands in which noble ideas are soiled and choked. Idea generators are demotivated by the scorching sun of those who trump on ideas. A country that suffers an integrity drought drives itself into an idea famine.

In the process of vetting those nominated for Cabinet Secretary positions, some nominees have a struggling values reputation. Their public image is stunted. The moral gaps cast a dark shadow that even their professional prowess and political experience are not able to push away. As people ponder on their suitability, a silent anxiety lingers.

Will it be yet another moment where political appointment wins the day while the public would have a different say? A perforated morality has capacity to overshadow even the grandest professional performance. Where a leader has a good professional reputation but a poor moral reputation, the moral reputation becomes the dominant identity. A good professional identity will not cleanse a porous moral identity.

The nominees were asked several integrity questions which they answered by providing clearance forms from relevant government authorities. But are those clearance certificates sufficient to assess the moral weight of a leader? Definitely not! Values are best not as legal requirements but as real convictions. The natural expectation is that a leader will display a higher threshold of exemplariness than the people they lead - hence the "looking up" to them.

Beyond the general tax, ethics and crime clearance certificates, it is right to subject persons who will occupy such significant positions to a higher moral scrutiny. But in the suitability interviews, the ethical section was the shortest, the rest being dominated by questions on technical proficiency and strategic actions. Having clearance certificates from government agencies is good, but a value-metre is essential. This can be calibrated based on a select cluster of national values.

In the present times, the attractive leader will be the one who not only scores on professional abilities but also executes responsibilities with a traceable intentional spirit of integrity. Technical and political prowess are definitely good but the strategic edge for this moment in time is a loud moral component.

Political leaders with visibly strong family values, averse from excessive gluttonous tendencies, progressive spirituality, consistently championing for the lowly, dignified speech, serving rather than lording over people, courage to stand for what is right will be more endeared by the public.

In future, the vetting committees should consider attaching more weight to the ethics component by, say, having a set of preset questions engaging the stance of the nominees on specific values and their stances on contemporary ethical issues. But many politicians see the values question as a stumbling block. They would rather live value-free lives with moral accountability totally out of play.

Even though some of the nominees have irked the public especially by their derogatory talk, no apology was made. Why is "sorry" a banned word in Kenyan politics? Instead of taking the straight road of apologizing to Kenyans, some nominees took the winding road of self justification. But going forward, they have a chance to execute their mandates as changed people. There's hope in the human condition - a sinner can change. The choice to live a life of pursuing righteousness is possible. No one is stuck in the muck of the life of an oppressor. Zacheus changed from an oppressor to a philanthropist. A visit by the Messiah was the divine energy he needed as a turning point for his life. Leaders can shift their reputation for the better. Even as we expect leaders to be exemplary, the challenge is "He who has not sinned be the first to cast the first stone." As we point out where the leaders must change, citizens must be changing too. That "all have sinned" is not a license for hedonistic living. There is an obligation for the wrong doer to "Go and sin no more." These words are often taken as directed to the woman who was caught in adultery. But they were meant also for those who carried the stones. They were stopped from stoning the woman, a call to them too to "Sin no more."

Stones in their hands, Jesus drew their attention to their hearts. A closer look at the story through the lenses of the words of Jesus reveals that if the crowd came to the woman with their hearts, they would have no stones in their hands. If they would carry the stones, it would not be to stone only the woman but to stone themselves. Stoning her would not end sin but would free up space for more sin since one sinner is gone!

Speeches made are only valuable if meant. The hustler narrative should not be a screen-saving mask while behind the scenes billionaires keep burgeoning. The relationship between the mama mboga and the millionaire Cabinet Secretary is critical. The millionaire needs the spirit of servanthood. The mama mboga needs the spirit of diligence. The mama mboga and the millionaire need to interact in honesty. Honesty makes the millionaire sincere. This sincerity banked with the mama mboga earns trust. Values are an indispensable in nation-building. Integrity is the weightlifter with muscles enough to alleviate the suffering of the people.