Cabinet draft Bill on leadership and integrity should be rejected

By Kilemi Mwiria

It is now widely accepted that poor leadership is the mother of most of our underdevelopment woes. This is why drafters of the current Constitution included a whole chapter (Six) and other articles to guarantee that in future, Kenyans who seek influential administrative and political offices in Government are persons of unquestionable integrity.

This chapter spells out the values expected of future leaders as well as mechanisms for implementing relevant legal provisions. Kenyans welcomed this development as the best way to improve standards of national leadership. The expectation is that henceforth, individuals associated with looting of public resources, ethnic cleansing, hate speech, and other vices that define bad leadership would be locked out of public service.

This is the genesis of the rather successful purging of judges and magistrates and the reason constitutional office holders have been vetted by relevant parliamentary committees, professional bodies, and the public.

The unfortunate move by Cabinet in the opposite direction of Kenyans’ hopes can only be aimed at shielding themselves and their friends of questionable character aspiring for the high office, from scrutiny by merely stating the intention of vetting without entrenching appropriate compliance laws. This is not surprising.  A good number of ministers carry heavy baggage that would disqualify them from public service if Chapter Six is implemented as proposed.

It is contradiction that politicians who will vet most public officers want to be judged differently. Thus, publication of this Bill is a very selfish move by Cabinet. Instead of defending what is good for the country, the Cabinet is telling Kenyans to forget that Chapter Six ever existed and that it will be business as usual.

They are telling us that persons of questionable character and qualifications should continue being at the centre of leadership despite the negative consequences for the country.

Because Chapter Six of the Constitution and the Integrity Bill are meant to safeguard national, not parochial interests, Kenyans must reject the Leadership and Integrity Bill, 2012.

I commend the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) for warning Kenyans of the dangers of Cabinet proposals before they get to Parliament.

I hope that the Law Reform Commission and the parliamentary Committee on the Implementation Of the Constitution will follow suit by providing much needed leadership in persuading Members of Parliament to reject the diluted Bill. Left on our own, and going by experience, MPs can easily be compromised to approve the Bill.  If this route fails, civil society and the Judiciary should take up the fight.

It is time that aspirants for different political offices who claim to be agents of reform stood up to be counted by refusing to be part of collective irresponsibility. Otherwise, smart voters will not be duped by mere talk and little action regarding the reforms Kenyans hope will be secured. We must stop the habit of subjecting Kenyans to comical “stepping aside” games by ministers associated with scandal, but who are assured of a return.  

The writer is MP for Tigania West and Assistant Minister Higher Education, Science and Technology