A group of Kenyan civil society organisations has launched a campaign seeking to prevent corrupt candidates or those with a questionable record from being elected into public office during the upcoming general elections.
The campaign dubbed #RedCard will use, among other things, lack of integrity, corruption, misappropriation of public funds to gauge the eligibility of persons seeking elective office.
With just over 100 days to Kenya’s general elections, campaigns have reached fever pitch. Political parties are currently carrying out their primaries ahead of elections in August.
Nominations are underway for various political seats; aspirants are not leaving anything to chance – the face of various cities and towns has a political look.
Elected leaders in Kenya are among the best paid in Africa, little wonder then that polls in the East African nation are hotly contested.
A coalition of civil society organisations known as National Integrity Alliance (NIA) says some of those who have previously held elective positions in Kenya fall short of ethical standards set by the Kenyan constitution.
“We have no record of successful prosecution of any of the mega corruption cases. It is as if you are courting corruption, the best way is to declare you are running for office,” says Programme Manager Michael Owrwa.
Should they win, we will be going to court in the first six-month of elections to have their elections rescinded
The Kenyan constitution outlines integrity as a key requirement for those seeking elective or appointive positions, however during 2013 elections politicians facing criminal allegations and corruption cases were elected into office. According to a 2014 report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), at least $6B, which is a third of Kenya’s budget, is lost to corruption.
NIA will hold a 90 day campaign to sensitize the public against voting for those with a tainted past, lobby political parties to disqualify them and if all else fails. “Should they win, we will be going to court in the first six-month of elections to have their elections rescinded,” says Orwa.
The SABC sought interviews with various political parties but only President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee party responded. “It is not our responsibility to verify all these issues of Chapter 6, because they are authorities who that is there responsibility so if they come with a certificate from the directorate of criminal investigation, it is not our responsibility to check if they had gotten this paper properly, unless it is a forgery,” says Secretary of the Jubilee Party Raphael Tuju.
Ultimately the decision on who wins an elective seat depends on Kenyans. So what qualities will they be looking for? “First of all leaders must be accountable to people,” says one of the people.
NIA will use reports from the auditor general’s office on management of public funds, reports from various parliamentary committees as well pending corruption or criminal cases.
– By Sarah Kimani
