"‘Gone baby gone!’ screamed our media as the enigmatic Miguna left the country in a huff amid calls for a statement by police on his allegations. It was an anti-climax of sorts. He threw down the gauntlet, but could not face his opponents that he so dramatically dared to the ring. Did he run away as a fugitive, or did he fear for his safety?
Whatever the reason, the anxiety and euphoria created by his book died with his departure. As is our tradition, there will be no desire by Government to investigate some of the outlandish allegations in his book, and by end month, no one will recall the book or the man.
The Kiswahili say ‘kikulacho ki nguoni mwako’. Our leaders should know that they are watched by all, through the eyes of their close ones, be it family members or advisors. History is replete with leaders turning on their advisors, or vice versa.
They know the workings of the ‘kitchen cabinet’ that usually run the State, and a fall out invariably leads to spilling the beans. In the Western world, this is usually done through memoirs as Miguna did.
John Githongo was a special advisor to President Kibaki and had to leave the country after he spilled the beans about corruption among the President’s men. He was accused of all manner of ills and was not spared even as he stayed put in the UK.
We see a similar script in Miguna’s case too. He is now accused of being a fugitive from law, a hireling guilty of all manner of sins too. Githongo was a whistleblower, and so is Miguna. Some may argue that there is dissimilarity in circumstances as Miguna was largely driven by malice and vengeance after he was fired.
However, whatever the motivation, he blew the whistle too on corruption in the PM’s office. But sadly, little has changed since the Githongo dossier went public in 2004. The Public Accounts Committee report and recommendations on the Githongo dossier was adopted by Parliament, but lies unimplemented on the shelves.
There is growing intimidation of whistleblowers, whether it is about corruption, narcotics or ethnic violence. Fear of retribution has forced most potential whistleblowers to silence, and those who gave evidence to investigators have been forced to relocate elsewhere. In all cases, the Government has shown little or no interest in protecting whistleblowers.
True, the democratic space has widened since the Githongo days. The media and Parliament have continuously revealed grand corruption and abuse of office. But the Executive has patented a standard response mechanism, where the official ‘steps aside’ pending investigations, and resumes office months later after being ‘cleared’. The reports clearing them are never made public; hardly any convictions ever take place.
For many Kenyans, the Leadership and Integrity bill now before the CICK that is intended to give effect to Chapter Six of the Constitution should cure the ills of integrity and lack of ethics that bedevil our leadership.
The draft sets out to regulate public trust, responsibility and duty; transparency and accountability, financial integrity, conflict of interest, political neutrality and professionalism among other things in order to set standards for good leadership and integrity in the public service. Many people still think the Bill lacks the punch.
It also does not deal with situations like those of cases before the ICC, leaders with corruption cases in court, individuals and corporations adversely mentioned or blacklisted in parliamentary committee reports: individuals expelled from professional bodies on questions of integrity or the Githongo/Miguna kind of revelations. It does not attempt to bar elective office seekers, except those convicted by a court.
As expected, the Bill encourages whistleblowers and pledges protection and reward, an offer unlikely to attract attention. However, it is unlikely too that our leaders will rise to the occasion and pass the Bill even in its current innocuous form. Lack of commitment to matters of integrity and good governance by those at the top has been our Achilles’ Heels. But the struggle must go on.
The writer is a former MP for Mandera Central and political economist". Courtesy of Standard Digital.
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