Justice and fair play central in our society

Businessman Chris Kirubi during an interview at his International Life House office in Nairobi on September 2, 2014. He has sold his entire stake in UAP Holdings to global insurer Old Mutual. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA |

What you need to know:

  • The first event was the US Senate report on how the CIA used torture and inhumane interrogation methods on people who were suspected to be terrorists.
  • Closer to home, I was equally intrigued by two widely reported stories. The first story was the sensational investigative report aired on Al Jazeera television on alleged extra-judicial killings by Kenyan security forces.
  • The thousands of Kenyans who were directly affected by the conflict that gave rise to these cases in the first place have been mentioned only in passing, and as an afterthought. 

Chris Kirubi, one of Kenya’s leading business magnates, made a statement on television recently that led me to ask myself questions about the role of justice and fair play in national development.

Responding to a television journalist’s question on the perceived unfairness in the awarding of government tenders, Mr Kirubi said: “There is no such thing as fairness or equality anywhere in the world.”

In his characteristic swagger, he went on to explain that “success” belongs to people who have the guts, the resources, and the ability to fight their way to the front of the line. 

“There are three categories of people,” he said. “Those who make things happen, those who sit on the sidelines and talk about those who are making things happen, and those who don’t even know what is happening.”

Mr Kirubi’s statement lingered in my mind, especially in light of a number of global and local political events that were making headlines at the time. 

What these events have in common is how, in each case, the values of justice and fairness were so easily thrown under the bus in the pursuit of other values perceived to be of greater importance by those who were at the “front of the line”.

CIA REPORT
The first event was the US Senate report on how the CIA used torture and inhumane interrogation methods on people who were suspected to be terrorists. 

What I find intriguing with that story is not so much what the report said, but how quickly the Obama administration responded with a “let’s move on and leave the past behind” statement.

I was glad to see that I was not alone in my discomfort. A number of human rights activists called for the prosecution of senior officials in the George W. Bush administration who planned and sanctioned the crimes outlined in the CIA report.

Closer to home, I was equally intrigued by two widely reported stories. The first story was the sensational investigative report aired on Al Jazeera television on alleged extra-judicial killings by Kenyan security forces.

The second one was the high profile decision by the International Criminal Court prosecutor to withdraw crimes against humanity charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta.  

The Al Jazeera documentary shows Kenyan security officers confessing to receiving orders by their superiors to execute suspected terrorists.

The Kenyan Government has, of course, denied these allegations and must be hoping that the story will just go away. Really?

STRENGTH OF CHARACTER
There was euphoric celebration after the withdrawal of the case against President Kenyatta and the government’s immediate response has been to focus on the remaining case against Deputy President William Ruto and radio presenter Joshua arap Sang, with the view to having it treated in the same way.

The thousands of Kenyans who were directly affected by the conflict that gave rise to these cases in the first place have been mentioned only in passing, and as an afterthought. 

I do not believe that the peace, prosperity, and progress that we so badly desire will depend on how many strong people can muscle their way to the front of the line, but how many of us will have the strength of character to make our way to the back of the line — to the bottom of the heap — to help those who, on their own, have no chance of ever seeing the light.