Vetting should ensure that those who want to lead are fit for office

Kenya's only hope in getting credible leaders now rests with various agencies currently vetting aspirants for political office.

These agencies that include the DCI, the EACC and the Commission for University Education owe it to Kenyans to ensure that only those of unquestionable integrity appear in the ballot paper. So it is absolutely critical that the vetting is executed in utmost transparency. It should not be a witch-hunt to lock out some contenders.

Over time, our politics has become a maelstrom of conflicting beliefs. The motivation to lead is not purely altruistic. Power and politics has formed a toxic mix where power is an end in itself and politics guarantees that power.

Surely, a country in the throes of wanton corruption should ensure that only the most honest of men and women get to sit in positions where decisions about billions of taxpayer money are made. Indeed, 30 per cent of all public money is lost through a compromised procurement process.

Sadly, majority of the voters have come to believe that the most deserving aspirants are the ones that can buy their vote. Worse still, a very small proportion of the population have the capacity to demand the best from their leaders.

They actually make their decisions based on tribe and money. So in a way, the vetting will separate the wheat from the chaff. After the 11th Parliament watered down Chapter Six, the people deserve institutions that can stand up for them.

The vetting should reinforce not undermine Parliament's oversight role in holding the Executive to account or in the hiring of top government executives and in passing laws.

Most importantly, the outcome of the vetting should have the confidence of an electorate that has tired of leaders displaying the worst forms of skulduggery. Yet it is foolhardy to imagine that a Certificate of Good Conduct is a perfect deterrent for those who want to abuse office and steal from the public.

Hopefully, our culture will evolve faster such that those who offer themselves for leadership are, like in natural selection, fit for office.