The Integrity Question

The Integrity chapter of the constitution is one of those theoretical gems that if put into practice, followed, and adhered to in both letter and spirit our leaders would be forced to go clean, repent and abandon all side deals unbecoming of good leaders which would in turn cause a trickledown effect on the entire nation. Then we the people will surely follow their good example. You are probably rolling your eyes and murmuring ‘she’s dreaming ‘  But of course man and especially politicians will always find  ways to fidget, blur and smudge the very black and visible lines of the laws pounded out by the hammer that should be the constitution (if these very law maker would cease diluting it into near nothingness).

By removing the ‘kuchuja’ or vetting clause where politicians are to be looked over by what should be a magnifying glass of law abiding organizations the police among others and given the’ green light’ so to speak as being clean and of a high standard of integrity. But our lawmakers in a move seen as largely self preserving and a last ditch effort to escape accountability want to chop and change Chapter 6 of the new law deleting or changing all they find too hard to live up to.

This chopping and changing of the new law signed in 2010 is nothing new as these esteemed law makers and now- presidential aspirants have sought to delete displeasing parts of the document whose  purpose

But while this was brewing yet another suit called on the courts-which’ve been on a solid roll in recent months- to bar three more presidential aspirants: the PM Raila Odinga, VP Kalonzo Musyoka  and the DPM Musalia Mudavadi  It seems for the three that the ghosts of their past deeds or misdeeds has come back to not only haunt them but throw a spanner in their state house ambitions. The three join the DPM Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto whose cases await an ICC ruling at the Hague and if the court decides to bring down the hammer on the 5 most prominent presidential aspirants the country will be in for a much altered more interesting political landscape.

This chopping, changing and liquidation of the new law signed in 2010 is nothing new as these esteemed law makers and now- presidential aspirants have sought to delete and blackout displeasing parts of the document who’s purpose is to bring errant ministers to book and be the voice and hand of reason in governing the nation the one ‘big stick’ that can swing, batting those out of line back in. But if our leaders keep chopping down the log to mere twigs we will soon have nothing to force them back into line with- which this now sceptical nation knows beyond doubt is what they want.   

Now as the Integrity question makes a return visit to parliament today- to no doubt loud and impassioned arguments- to those who wield power and as the law that was meant to uphold this virtue is set to receive yet another  much unneeded make over the nation wonders if our leaders will ever be forced to live and conduct themselves to a much higher unyielding standard (putting the people first before their own fulfilment) if we as a people can continue to call out our errant leaders, or whether they will once again succeed in sweeping under the rug another gem of a theory.