Will Wabukala tenure sanitise looting?

I have never waited for such a long time to comment on an important public issue!

In fact, I started penning this article the moment I heard that retired Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Eliud Wabukala was being head hunted to chair the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Mr Wabukala takes over the mantle of the EACC at a time when the anti-corruption agency does not enjoy an iota of public confidence and is, quite frankly, a liability to Kenyans.

I have written in this paper before that the formation of anti-graft agencies in Africa was part and parcel of “political conditionalities” from donors.

These bodies were forced on unwilling regimes that were, at the time, scared of losing donor largesse, an important source of loot.

They were never formed to fight corruption. This situation, in my view, has not changed!

At this point in time, it is probably important to look at the pros and cons of the retired Archbishop’s appointment.

Let’s also assume that he is (i) willing, (ii) competent, and (iii) has the goodwill from the “system” (the rich individuals and their families who benefit from corruption) to fight corruption.

In which case, Kenya will have, indeed, found the proverbial silver bullet.

Let’s now flip the coin. First is the issue of competency.

POWERLESS BODY

The single most important factor that earned him the job seems to be the 12 years he served at the National Anti-Corruption Campaign Steering Committee as its chairperson.

The fact that Archbishop (rtd) Wabukala served in the body for 12 years simply means that he was not fighting corruption.

If you believe you are fighting graft for 12 long years, and you are not a threat to anyone, then there is something wrong with your way of thinking.

Second, the steering committee was not set up to have any positive impact on fighting corruption.

The decision to establish it had more to do with the politics of controlling resources than fighting corruption.

It was a device by the mighty Office of the President to hoard funds.

When it was formed, we in civil society argued that the body was simply going to duplicate the functions that were already the mandate of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (as it was then).

Of course, these concerns were brushed aside for the simple reason that it was just another show.

Third and perhaps more importantly, if Mr Wabukala is willing to fight corruption, then he must immediately come up with a more concrete plan.

The first item on that plan will have to be a complete overhaul of the EACC secretariat.

This is what his predecessor attempted to do and what actually brought him down.

Power holders did not care about the integrity issues that were finally cited as the reason for his removal. Remember, they had vetted him!

WAIT AND SEE
The fact of the matter is that many of those accused of corruption and who have extraordinary vertical linkages are extremely happy with the composition of the EACC.

The total institutional capture of that body means it is more primed to protect than to punish the corrupt.

It is the weakest link at the moment in the fight against corruption.

Will the Wabukala tenure be the final show in sanitising officially sanctioned looting in Kenya?

Mr Odhiambo is the president of the National Civil Society Congress and a governance consultant. [email protected]