Tribe and ‘brilliance’ should not overshadow integrity

Given the altercations which followed the nomination and approval of Mr Keriako Tobiko for the post of Director of Public Prosecutions, in and outside Parliament, one would have been forgiven to imagine the Maasai community was on trial.

Although the questions raised over Mr Tobiko’s suitability for the position were constitutional, his supporters managed to turn the episode into an ethnicity contest. It was as if Mr Tobiko was applying for a community job rather than a national office, which should be guided by Chapter Six of the Constitution.

To ignore the chapter on leadership and integrity and merely cite affirmative action to give a Maasai the chance to serve in government is to commit a serious fallacy. Irrespective of community affiliation, every public officer must exhibit personal integrity.

The question that all Kenyans must ask is: given the nature of the allegations levelled against the nominee for the post of Director of Public

Prosecutions, does Mr Tobiko inspire confidence in Kenyans to hold such an office, which the Constitution states ought to be held in public trust? Don’t Kenyans have the right to know the truth concerning the serious allegations made by their fellow countrymen and women, whether or not the nominee comes from a minority community?

Omole Joseph, Nairobi.

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It is now apparent that some of our politicians will never grow up and embrace sobriety when serious issues come up. Whenever a debate of national importance and which requires deep engagement of the mind goes to the floor of the House, such politicians always sink low and view the issue from a weird and retrogressive perspective of clan, ethnic, sectional or party affiliation.
This was the case last Wednesday during debate on the suitability of Mr Keriako Tobiko for the position of DPP. And yet it is our new Constitution which prescribes integrity for those holding public office. It says nothing about one’s tribe.
And although the powers against the new dispensation carried the day, Kenyans will not be comfortable with Mr Tobiko deciding who and who not to prosecute, unless a reputable panel clears him of all the allegations.
The fact that Mr Tobiko is “one of the most brilliant lawyers in the country” or that he is from a minority tribe will not wash away the misgivings of the Kenyan public.
Kimani wa Njuguna, Gatundu.

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My take on the DPP nominee debate is that the issue should be looked at in terms of precedent and the standards we are setting for ourselves and not the nominee per se.

How are we going to handle similar cases in future and to what extent will we allow political leanings to cloud our thinking, not forgetting that our approach and decisions speak of us to the international community?

Where serious allegations are brought forth about a nominee, it would be best that further investigations are carried out by competent bodies and final decisions be based on facts.

We have yearned for change for many years and petty politics must not deny us the change we want.
George Aseno, via email.