Kenya should mind her reputation

Anyone who has lived long enough will tell you that so much hangs on reputation. One's reputation will either open or shut doors before him/her. This holds true for individuals as well as for countries. A story is told of a president from an African country who visited one of the western nations on "official duties". But as it is wont to happen his reputation as a dictator who ruled his country with an iron fist preceded him there.

And so on arrival in the said nation's capital, the city's deputy mayor was dispatched to receive the visiting president at the airport. Needless to say this was demeaning to the president in the extreme and with his inflated ego, he felt deeply offended. But as aforementioned, life revolves around reputation and the sooner individuals or countries learn to guard their reputation jealously the better for them.

Two recent events in Kenya have left me with the impression that much as the Jubilee government would want Kenyans to believe that it is mindful of its reputation with Kenyans and our development partners, both President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto and their henchmen are, on the contrary, least bothered by the impression they are creating. It is as if as long as they can have their way, nothing else really matters.

The first incident was a controversial 13-page letter send to the UN Security Council by Kenya's representatives to the UN Ambassador Macharia Kamau. In the letter Kamau wanted the Security Council to terminate the cases at the ICC against President Kenyatta, Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang. Kamau argued that prosecution of the cases against the three Kenyans has the potential of touching off violence in the country. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 Suffice it to mention that Kamau sent this letter in his capacity as Kenya's representative to the UN. The government cannot therefore allege that it had no knowledge of the letter. Kamau's action must have had the blessings of highly placed people in the government.

But it is the impression that this letter has created that should get us concerned. For starters this letter paints Kenya as a country where impunity springs eternal. That as long as it is the high and mighty that are implicated in wrong-doing they can as well rest assured that they will easily get away with it.

It speaks of a country where justice is only available to the highest bidder. By reason of this letter, Kenya came across as a country where people see no fault in using public office to shield themselves from the course of justice. Nothing can be more shameful. On the heels of Ambassador Kamau's letter came the vetting of cabinet secretaries. This exercise was undertaken chiefly to establish the suitability of President Kenyatta's nominees to the cabinet.

As Kenyans watched on television the vetting by Parliament's Appointments Committee went fairly well save for one incident which I seek to highlight here. When the nominee to the East African and Tourism docket Phylis Kandie was interrogated it was clear that the good lady is not in grips with what her new job entails. It is in view of this fact that members of the Appointments Committee, apart from Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau, rejected her nomination.

But when the list of the nominees was tabled in Parliament for approval, the Jubilee government used its numbers to ensure that Kandie was approved as a cabinet secretary. Emboldened by Parliament's endorsement, President Uhuru Kenyatta has gone ahead and formally appointed the 16 nominees to the cabinet.

Clearly, glossing over weighty considerations such as suitability in appointing people to key public offices reflects badly on the Jubilee government. This is something that can hardly be imagined in a country that is keen on realising development on a massive scale. Kandie's approval and subsequent appointment has left more questions than answers. It is sad that the debate in Parliament on Mrs Kandie degenerated into settling political scores and proving who has the numbers.

Listening to the MPs that backed Kandie, one could not help but wonder whether public interest matters anymore to these honourable members. When enlightened men and women relegate what really matters to the gutters and cave in to narrow political interests, one can as well conclude that nothing worth writing home about will come out of this leadership.

Let it be clear to the President and his cohorts that Kenyans are watching. The promises they made to Kenyans are well documented and nothing short of fulfilling them will appease the public. In the likely event of failing to deliver as a result of having unsuitable people in office, that will be no excuse. After all there's no shortage of suitable people around and all that it takes is to seek them out.

This article was published in the Star Newspaper on May 18, 2013