IS KIBAKI HONEST ON THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT?

The recent events in the fight against corruption in Kenya seem to have raised more questions than answers. President Kibaki set the ball rolling by publicly declaring that the government was committed to fight against corruption. The President’s pronouncement came in the wake of several cases of corrupt deals purportedly committed by senior government officials in the recent past.

As the President was making such pronouncement, it was already a common knowledge that top government officials, including ministers were involved in those corrupt deals. Kenyans expected that the President would respond by asking those implicated in corruption to step aside to allow further investigation. Unfortunately as it turned out, the President was simply playing politics, since he did not tell Kenyans how he was going to fight corruption, nor setting a time frame for the intended action.

And this leads to several questions:
Is President Kibabki really committed to the fight against corruption in the country?
Was he honest when he declared that the government was committed to fight against corruption?
Is he trying to protect corrupt individual for his selfish political interests?

Perhaps, Kenyans would want to forgive him for his now customary empty rhetoric on government’s commitment to fight against corruption, but his siding with, and subsequent reinstatement of corrupt ministers is a clear indication that he is not committed to eliminating the vice in our system, rather than abating it. This in fact, places him in the most awkward position and nobody would ever trust him again on any issue of national importance. It appears now that he is not in touch with the actual reality on the ground, and does not know what majority of Kenyans wants.

On the political front, the President seems to be setting the stage for brutal battle with the ODM, both within and without parliament. The President’s decision to trash the Prime Minister’s action on the corrupt ministers should be viewed in the light of his contempt for the constitutional provision (The National Accord and Reconciliation Act). By reinstating the corrupt ministers, the President seems to be acting in total ignorance of the general wishes of the Kenyan populace. This in fact, is also a direct affront on the Prime Minister and is likely to precipitate further divisions and acrimony between the coalition partners.

What would happen if the Prime Minister refused to recognize the President’s action and declared that he acted not only within the constitutional provisions, but also in the interests of Kenyans? Would it be possible for the two principals to sit down together in the cabinet and engage in any constructive discussions if the parties are divided? What if each of them stood their ground and refused to budge?

The likely scenarios are: there would be no cabinet meetings, the parliament would not pass bill, collapse of the constitution review process, the government would grind to a halt, and one of the coalition partners would pull out of the government, leading to its collapse, according to the National Accord and Reconciliation Act.

In almost all the scenarios, it is President Kibaki who would be most disadvantaged. That is why President Kibaki must reconsider his decision and let the suspension of the corrupt ministers by the Prime Minster stand. The President should let the police to investigate the ministers and give them time to defend themselves in court of laws to prove their innocence.

By:
Tito Bongoman