MP’s move on degrees welcome

Members of the Tenth Parliament should not be branded selfish and mutilators of the new Constitution because of the changes they made recently requiring those aspiring to be MPs and councillors to have a minimum of a university degree. We passed the new constitution, albeit with 20 per cent flaws, which we agreed to iron out during the implementation. And that is exactly what the MPs have done.

I wish to support the views expressed by former Attorney General, Charles Njonjo, that our country risks losing face before the international community if we continue electing people with minimal education to Parliament. In fact, we appear to be a country where the law of the jungle reigns supreme.

For example councillors are demanding Sh2 million gratuity when their five-year term expires before the next General Election because MPs are demanding twice the amount. Most councillors, as every Kenyan knows, are primary school drop-outs, and aged between 30 – 40 years.

The Sh2 million each councillor is demanding to be paid for a five-year term, is even more than what many top graduate Government officials and university dons get as lump sum pension when they retire after 35-40 years of service.

The recently created Salaries and Remuneration Commission should strictly ensure that people are rewarded commensurate with education and effort they put in whatever they do. And because the current emoluments for councillors are higher than what university graduates in the public sector earn, university degree should be compulsory for all elective posts from a councillor to president.

Scratching their heads

After 50 years of independence, every community in Kenya must be having enough university graduates to provide visionary leadership in   political and socio-economic spheres.

Fears of academic fraud as desperate MPs and other hopefuls present fake academic papers to remain in the game are misplaced because the electorate, who live with the aspirants and know their academic backgrounds, will be obliged to inform the IEBC of any cheats. Moreover, the degree requirement for elective posts is good for the country because school children will aspire to study more, unlike currently when some point out that not all in high places are highly educated.

Already, some MPs and even Cabinet ministers are scratching their heads in university lecture halls, struggling to acquire  degrees. It will be very unfair to them if we allowed others with no degrees to vie for similar elective posts.

{Aggrey Kulali, Emuhaya}

 

The self-serving amendments MPs sneaked into the Political Parties Act highlight the folly of trusting Parliament with the reform process. Partisan interests rather than the public good drive the legislative agenda. This therefore calls for all Kenyans to rise up to defend the Constitution.

At independence, we had one of the most progressive constitutions. However, politicians mutilated it systematically over time. As a result, poverty, tribalism and bad governance took root. Such sad history must not be allowed to recur. It is therefore refreshing to note that opposition to the amendments is gaining momentum. If the president signs it into law, our courts of law should reverse it.

{Elijah Ogaya Rangwe}

The recent hullabaloo generated by politicians over a clause requiring good qualifications from those who seek elective offices is sickening. The debate has been reduced to imply that the only available leaders for this country now and in the future can only be sourced from the current Parliament.

This is wrong and it sends wrong signals to the millions of Kenyans who rightly believe that good education is essential for visionary leadership. I urge the necessary institutions led by CIC to ensure that selfish interests do not  erode gains that the new Constitution promises.

{Godfrey  Mbayi Tipo, Nairobi}

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Scuttle devious terror plot in good time

The country’s security is in the  spotlight, yet again. In the last two days, some people have been arrested in Mombasa and Nairobi after they were found in possession of chemicals they believed were to be used in making explosives.

The US also says it has reason to believe terrorists are planning an attack on the coastal town in July. It has warned its citizens and State officials residing in Kenya to avoid the town at all costs. These revelations should send a very strong message to our Government and people. They should make us very worried.

The terror alerts are attributed to the ongoing war in Somalia to wipe out Al Shabaab militia that has claimed responsibility for previous attacks in various parts of the country. It is, however, sad while our defence forces are doing all they can to wipe out the terror group, there are Al Shabaab sympathisers who are working with the group. Some of the  people arrested with the chemicals are Kenyans and one wonders why they should do this.

However, even as we try to come to terms with the revelations, one wonders whether Kenya has put in  place mechanisms to ensure the said attacks do not take place. What are we doing to ensure we are all safe? These are the questions we should be asking ourselves now.

We have suffered enough in the hands of terrorists — innocent lives lost and property of unknown value destroyed — and we should not just do nothing about the threats.

The buck stops with us the citizens of this nation. As much as it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure we have adequate security, we also have a role to play. We should be aware of our surroundings and any suspicious characters around us. People entering crowded places, businesses, hotels and even churches should be thoroughly be screened.

The country is also approaching high peak tourism season with tourists from across the world visiting, but with the new US warning, tourists might be scared away, dealing a blow to our economy. The Government should, therefore, deploy more security officers in Mombasa to ensure tourists of their security.

We must also remember we are approaching elections and security is of utmost importance. The Government should start working to ensure we are safe. This should start with clearing such threats.

More investigations should also be done to establish whether there is more explosive-making chemicals out there. Police should dig deeper and find out where the explosives are made and what their  intended purpose really was.

{Nixon Kanali, Nairobi}