Is PLO Lumumba the ‘chosen one’?

Public acclaim has greeted Parliament’s nod to push ahead with the appointment of lawyer and politician Dr PLO Lumumba as the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission’s (KACC) director.

The ball now lies in President Kibaki’s court and he will either assent to the matter or throw it back to Parliament for more debate.

If and when the eloquent barrister assumes the seat, Kenyans will assume they have made the perfect choice with no reason to regret later.

Contrary to the hype at its inception, KACC has so far been unable to move some seemingly ‘immovable stones’ and instead concentrated time and effort on what wananchi feel are run-of-the-mill cases.

The reign of PLO at the helm of KACC will hopefully change the negative perceptions associated with the anti-graft body. The war on corruption must be fought with more clout and political will. Jails must belong to economic saboteurs as well as chicken thieves.

We must turn a new leaf in the fight against corruption and PLO’s tenure will be as good a time as any.

{Kabaria Muturi, Nairobi}

Lumumba’s appointment as KACC director has elicited varied reactions among Kenyans.

While many view his appointment as a step in the right direction in the fight against corruption, Lumumba faces an uphill task in his attempt to clamp down on graft.

Kenya has been ranked as one of the continent’s most corrupt countries. Since Independence, multiple scandals that cost taxpayers billions of shillings have been reported. Sadly, the masterminds of these scams are still free to enjoy their loot.

What wananchi must realise is that Lumumba’s appointment is not a magic bullet. The war against corruption cannot be fought by a single individual.

Without the necessary support from Government, Lumumba risks failing just like the others before him. John Githongo, the former Governance and Ethics PS, once cited lack of support from the Government as the biggest problem that faced him.

The Government has clearly shown little enthusiasm to end graft, instead opting to pay lip service to it. Note the ease with which State officials who have been implicated in various financial scandals find their way back to their well-paying positions.

{Mike Kalama, Mombasa}

Dr Lumumba, a refined lawyer, must be bracing for the job as director of the embattled KACC.

Now to the big question — will he make any difference while in office? Corruption has become an endemic problem that appears like it’s here to stay despite the creation of law enforcement agencies like KACC.

The problem becomes even more complicated because the country’s top leadership lacks the will to end corruption.

In fact, almost all mega scandals are executed by senior Government officials who operate like they are above the law or are untouchable.

Will Lumumba be ready to fight the bigwigs who loot public assets? The trend is that when top corrupt officials are named in scandals like Goldenberg, Triton and FPE, the Government usually exonerates them from blame to try not to sully its image.

{Masinde Mathias, Bungoma West}