Poll aspirants face tough integrity test

Leaders who have been named in parliamentary investigations into unresolved scandals will not be allowed to vie for elective seats if MPs pass a Bill on integrity.

A similar fate will visit those who have been widely mentioned in various reports of commissions of inquiry that Parliament adopted.

These are some of the rules spelt in the draft Leadership and Integrity Bill whose aim is to set high standards for holders of elective seats and other public offices.

The Bill, which is meant to effect provisions on Chapter Six of the Constitution also seeks to bar people who have been involved in grave crimes such as murder and burglary from vying for elective seats or being appointed to public positions.

It says: “A person who has contravened the Integrity Code or has been convicted of a felony or adversely named in a Parliamentary Committee Report or a Commission of Inquiry Report adopted by Parliament shall not qualify for appointment or election to state office if the matter for which he or she has been named remains unresolved.”

The Integrity Bill aims to promote ethics, inject professionalism and cultivate servant leadership among politicians and public officers. Its goal is to bring to an end corrupt and rogue leaders and penalise civil servants who abuse their offices.

It is one of the two Bills which is facing stiff opposition from politicians, some of whom have been adversely mentioned in commissions of inquiry such as the one on Goldenberg and the sale of the luxurious Grand Regency Hotel to Libya.

Politicians and prominent people who have also been named in reports of parliamentary committees which investigated several scandals such as the disappearance of maize from the silos of the National Cereals and Produce Board, the sugar and cemetery land scams in Mavoko which are yet to be resolved, could lose out.

Politicians are also frowning upon the provisions in the Campaign Financing Bill which sets ceilings on campaign expenditure and proposes tough penalties for defaulters.

Mandera Central MP Abdikadir Mohamed said the Bills were yet to land on the floor of the House because they touch on the careers of some politicians.

“The two Bills have delayed because of the sensitivity of the politics of the day. Some members are not comfortable with these Bills,” he said.

The Integrity Bill gives the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission powers to vet people who will hold political offices.