Our leaders’ corrupt ways will once be ‘peeled back’

Dear presidential aspirants,

I write this short open letter to all of you with a heavy heart. Seeing that I have lived in this country for more than half a century, I can claim to have a fair knowledge of where we have come from as a nation, who the key players have been and why and how we are where we are. A lot of the social, economic, moral and even cultural problems this country has experienced are due to the kind of top leadership we have had.

Some of you who the average Kenyan – through your political machinations – considers front runners have in one way or another been closely associated with that top leadership which you are now seeking. In that respect, I wish to address your sense of dignity and therefore your conscience.

Each one of you has a history which you may not want to discuss because you have known that we Kenyans have a very short memory. When some of you allude to your personal history, the only details you mention are those to do with times gone and not the more recent events that you have been involved in which knowledgeable Kenyans know about but have no documentation on.

Miguna Miguna – in spite of whatever his personal issues maybe – does come in handy here because he seems to bring to light things that Kenyans talk about everywhere as rumours but cannot document.

Last Wednesday was Nelson Mandela’s birthday. The attention of the whole world was turned on to this icon of liberation. All kinds of people had all manner of good things to say.

I was particularly thrilled by the sentiments of sportsmen and women – I am regularly on the sports channels – of the various disciplines all over the globe. The cyclists – Tour de France – had something to say, the golfers – Open Championship – were full of excitement as they discussed their perception of he old man. He was celebrated by the whole world. Why?

Kindly consider one thing dear candidates. It does not matter how much control of the public sphere you have today.

If your background is corrupt or not right in whichever way, it will come out somehow at one time or another. The tragedy will be that your own grandchildren and great grandchildren will live with it and perhaps not be too proud of you.

Just wanting to get into government to make money and then get into the next one to make more is denying future generations the pride of belonging to a great Nation. Kindly think.

Dr Wamugunda is dean of students and sociology lecturer at the University of Nairobi wamugundaw@uonbi.ac.ke