Opinion: President Uhuru’s last dice on corruption

Mr Kenyatta has repeated the word corruption more than 300 times in other speeches. In this one, he said it 14 times. “It has to end, and it has to end now,” he said. PHOTO:COURTESY

Towards the end of 2016, The Standard cartoonist and political satirist, Gado, published a cartoon about corruption and the Government’s culpability in the vice.

In that cartoon, President Uhuru Kenyatta was depicted as one whom corruption starts with.

Of course what Gado meant was that the President is fully responsible for fighting corruption. He cannot blame it on anyone else. The buck stops with him as the chief executive of the country.

You recall how the President got lampooned for the famous “Mnataka nifanye nini jameni?” comment at the State House summit on corruption? "Nothing angers Kenyans quite like corruption,” he had said at a conference on “Global Compact Anti-Corruption conference” in December 2015.

In his much-acclaimed speech, he said he abhorred corruption and that his Government would do all it would take to fight corruption. “Corruption threatens the trust which is at the heart of what it means to be Kenyan.”

Mr Kenyatta has repeated the word corruption more than 300 times in other speeches. In this one, he said it 14 times. “It has to end, and it has to end now,” he said.

That wananchi are very angry about corruption means the President hasn’t matched word and deed. Or if he has, they haven’t felt it. Depending on who you ask, all we have heard is promises about corruption and how it will be defeated, but nothing much.

Last week, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) spearheaded the establishment of the Chapter 6 Working Group under the auspices of the office of the Attorney General.

This offers the best hope yet that we could ensnare the dragon of corruption. Corruption loves power and power loves corruption, or so it seems. And so something that will block the seemingly corrupt from self-preservation is welcome.

At times for the purpose of securing a legacy, a leader ought to be ruthless.

He will have to purge his ranks of those deemed corrupt and those perpetuating impunity.
In Mr Kenyatta’s case; better to start or wait and do later?

Contrary to what many think, in his second term if re-elected, the President would be a lame duck. He won’t do much. And so the August elections offer a chance to solidify his legacy.

Through legal means, he can use the opportunity to steer clear of leaders or those aspiring and are known for their culpability in perpetuating corruption and abetting impunity.

Things get more complex when you consider that many of the perceived President’s friends who were ejected from Government are now planning to join Government as elected officials. Now, what to do?
The President’s predicament reminds me of the eagle. The eagle has the longest life span of its species. It can live up to 70 years.

At 40, the eagle must make hard decisions. At this age, its talons can no longer grab prey. The heavy wings also become weaker and fail in their functions.

In order to survive to 70 years, the eagle undergoes a very painful process that leads to its renewal. It knocks out its powerful beaks and plucks off the feathers on its wings.

It then allows the beaks and the feathers to regrow before it starts to fly again. The President is also going through the same challenges.

He is facing an election and wananchi expect a lot from him. He wants to sign a contract with the voters for another term. The voters are asking tough questions. Corruption is one of the major issues the voters are concerned about. In fact, an opinion poll recently showed that Kenyans are not happy with the government’s effort in fighting corruption.

And according to a local pollster, the cost of living and corruption are some of the top concerns among Kenyans. Even though the general population participates and also abets corruption.

Isn’t it obvious that someone who had been dismissed from office on strong suspicion of corruption and now trying to come back to Government will not behave any differently? Once corrupt, always corrupt.

That brings me to my next point: Mr Kenyatta’s options. They are not as dire as some would want to imagine but as the saying goes; it is better to fix the engine while it is off rather than while it is running. Now is that time.

He has the opportunity to dutifully effect Chapter 6. He can do that by say, giving political support to the Chapter Working Group.

Ours being a highly competitive brand of politics, if allowed to participate in elections, those leaders who have looted have a higher chance of being elected because of their fat pockets.

And that is the bane of our politics: money (often illicit) in a way denies the people a genuine alternative.

And so denying leaders with court cases the opportunity to run for office will give wananchi an opportunity to elect leaders with integrity; leaders who care about them and their country.

The working group should use this opportunity to rewrite the history of Kenyan politics. They will have to dismantle the networks that allow and abet corruption.