Raila vs Karua: Leadership and integrity

All political parties in Kenya, should be responsible in scrutinizing the history of its candidates and ensure the candidates  pass the credibility and integrity test per section 6 of the new constitution. During the tenth parliament session, Gichugus' Member of Parliament Martha Karua, stood up and confronted the Prime Minister (PM) Raila Odinga as to why the Government was not following the new constitution i.e. section 6 (leadership & integrity) and  the anti-corruption and economic crimes of public officers act (disallows appointment of tainted public officers) in reference to Ministers and Public officers  holding public offices when faced with criminal proceedings over corruption and economic crimes.

Ms. Karua asked the Mr.Odinga: “Mr Prime Minister is it that you are not aware that the Minister for Higher Education is facing criminal charges in court?” - Mp in question is William Ruto. The PM was left defending Ministers who were still holding onto party positions saying they were not acting against the new Constitution since they double up as elected and appointed State officers. The PM was quoted saying,  “Lets us not cast aspersions and try to look at only one side. Are we not tying to see the log in our own eyes?” He also challenge Ms. Karua to show proof of convictions.

HYPOCRISY

It is applauding to see that there are some officials who are trying to implement the law; However, the law also applies to them.
Case and point, if Karua is raising concerne over ODM's Ruto's integrity, conflict of interest, and other clauses listed in the constitution that would bar someone from holding office,( Ruto is currently on trial charged with defrauding the Kenya Pipeline company of huge amounts of money through dubious land deals, no verdict yet on his guilt or innocence), Ms, Karua should also look into how PNU's  Gidion Mbuvi Kioko aka Mike Sanko , the recently elected Makadara MP, should not have been cleared to run with his prior arrest record and convictions that involve forgery, 2 months jail term in Shimo La Tewa prison in 1998, a stint in Kamiti Prison in 2001,and a prison break.
It is a no brainer that having an arrest record tarnishes the credibility and integrity of an individual. Here is someone who served time in jail for document forgery, someone who has be alleged to be a drug dealer(waiting to confirm this, hence alleged so don't be in a hurry to sue!), and a drug user who allegedly uses miraa aka khat (yes its legal in Kenya but illegal in many countries as WHO declared it a drug of abuse). How did he pass the credibility/integrity test? How is he to be ethical to the people? How dare Karua point fingers at the other party before looking at her own party, before giving Sonko the green light? I usually concur with Karua but am afraid not on this issue. It is a two way streak. No one should be above the law. It should have been a morality/ethical issue that determined Sonko's credibility. Kenyans are fighting to remove officials who are unethical, not credible, unscrupulous, yet some are been vetted for? Such hypocrites.


Kenya: current conditions and the challenges ahead.(Congressional Research Service)(Report): An article from: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs

Is there room for corruption in the new decentralized Kenyan government?

There is a profound indication that corruption is one of the leading factors that results in poverty. Moreover, corruption appears to be the number one driving force in creating inequalities in developing nations. Inequalities caused by corruption and the conspicuous consumption that comes with it, unfortunately is much more damaging than just having high levels of poverty and can lead to destabilization of a nation.

According to the 2009  World democracy audit, Kenya ranked 117&106, amongst corrupt & democratic nations in the world respectively (It should be noted that higher rankings indicate most corrupt and least democratic respectively). Most developing countries are plagued by corruption, poverty and lack of a democratic system.

Kenyans have been waiting on a new constitution for over 20 years and with the passing of the recent referendum in August, Kenyans have signaled  their impatience with the government in their lack of social responsibility in service delivery; However, will the new constitution do enough to address corruption in Kenya? I believe although the passing of the new constitution is a great step, it would be impartial and a mistake to think and assume that many of the fundamental problems that are plaguing Kenya currently would be solved by the new constitution. Yes, hope for Kenyans has been created, and  the continuing faith in the democratic process and institutions has been craved for, both positive signs; However, the recent contradictions (i.e. attempts to block its promulgation into law) and resistance will not make it any easier unless implementation of the constitution is carried forth with utmost vigilance, patience, and persistence. It is a big step and a good one. Baby steps comes to mind. Rome wasn't built in day. Corruption in Kenya cannot and will not be solved in the short term.

This is where the implementation of the constitution comes into play. The new constitution, will help build institutions locally and will put pressure on local leadership to deal with the problems that affect that local region/county be it health care, education, development assistance, infrastructure etc. The decentralization of the Kenyan government will help curb corruption in all levels including development assistance. For so long, aid intended for the people has not been reaching the people themselves. Instead, a number of leaders have been accused of defrauding citizens, ultimately decreasing the amount of aid from donor countries. It is high time that officials realize, Kenya 2030's vision will not be realized if corruption is not addressed. Decentralization will help if and only if implementation of the constitution is upheld. It is not pragmatic to think that development can be sustained over a long period of time while corruption is positively active within the region.

Like stated above, the constitution will not solve all problems related to corruption. Recognizing leaders who move against the corruption tide is also crucial since not all leaders are corrupt. Some have denounced corruption openly case and point Martha Karua. There will always be a handful of elite persons who denounce corruption and move against it. Finding the means to support them is equally important and helpful. I believe Kenyans have seen first hand how the government has become more and more dysfunctional. Kenyans have seen how a leaders have robbed the country continuously and how more and more of the individuals have become more repressive. Kenyans have realized that it is a time for change.

In conclusion, as Kenya switches from a centralized government to a decentralized one,let us hope that the decentralization of service procurement and delivery will lead to increased accountability, through an increased control on the behavior of the elected representatives and their service delivery to the people; However, if local democracy will be prone to succor in the form of corruption by local elites/officials, decentralization will be non efficient in curbing corruption and thus will fail.

Somali Prime minister resigns: What's next for Somalia

The pairing of Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke and  President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was to be  Somalia's best chance in years, for the Transitional Federal Government (TGF) in fight insurgency mainly al shaabad- Al Qaeda inspired insurgents and running the government competemtly and wooing the large somali diaspora; However, all this came to an end today when the Prime minister Sharmarke resigned. In a statement to the press, Sharmarke stated "I resigned as the prime minister of the transitional federal government of Somalia after being unable to work with the president". Some of the key problems include:

1. Different ideologies and perspective between the two that resulted in a prolonged dispute with Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the country's president.
--Finger pointing, President Sharif blaming Sharmarke and his government for failing to root out al shabaab when clearly Sharif isn't having positive results himself .
2. Increased insecurity in Somalia (daily fighting between al shabaab and government troops backed by African forces)  and political crisis within the government.
3. The replacement of the interim charter with the  constitution  when the TGF mandate expires next year, is also another key issue between the two. President Sharif wants it to be submitted to a referendum but Sharmake argues due to security issues, that process wouldn't be credible and instead should be reviewed by parliament.

This dispute confirms a pattern of bitter rivalry between the administration's top three officials and prior administrations. According to the TGF charter, the president, prime minister, and the speaker of parliament each have to belong to one of Somalia's three main clan groups (Haven't we seen this before, different ethnicity, rivalry, lack of progress within African governments,?).

PRIOR PATTERNS OF RIVALRY  WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION:

• Sharmarke's predecessor, Nur Hassan Hussein "Adde", had his own disputes with former president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed in 2009.

• Yusuf  Ahmed also had bitter political feuds with Adde's predecessor Mohamed Ali Gedi, who was forced to resign in 2007.
  

SO WHATS NEXT FOR SOMALIA?

The current division and rift within the western backed TFG, will only benefit the radicals, who stand to control more areas and intimidate and reach into the highest levels of government. Last month, a foreign envoy was attacked while meeting President Sharif. A suicide bomber attacked the compound they were at. Recently, three members of the government including the chief of police have been assassinated. All this was prior to the resignation of the prime minister.

With the resignation, I foresee an increase in violence that will not only be directed at civilians but also at members of the western backed government and the African Union troops(AU). The insurgents are taking over control of towns such are Beledweyen, Jowhar, and Kismayo. The insurgents have also taken control of army weapons and machines increasing their artillery power that not only will it enable al shabaab gain ground control but this will also help  hisbul islam in attacking AU troops  This religion vs clan conflict will only continue with  more violence erupting in Somalia as the battle of power advances towards Mogadishu.

Unless the TGF heeds al shabaab's demand, that is have AU troops withdraw from Somalia, have Ethiopia and the west not meddle in its affairs,the extremists will greatly benefit from this rift within the government, and the open dialogue and negotiations called by the TGF will not be met by the insurgents. Unless AU troops are removed from Somalia per al shabaab's request, no negotiations will take place, and without negotiations, death, destruction and displacements of Somalis will continue. Most importantly, unless other Muslim countries, including the Arab league help the Somalian government, either through negotiations or financially backing the government, the 20 year old civil war will continue.

This is a critical time for the Somalis. The government needs to work out its issues be it ethnic or different perspectives and work towards a common goal which is stability and peace. Numerous rifts within the government fails to end insurgency and deliver peace to the Somalis. More lives will be lost, and Somali will never be an independent Nation.