MPs have neither the moral authority nor capacity to investigate corruption
What you need to know:
Asking MPs to investigate corruption is like sending a hungry dog to catch a man meat.
- They should keep off and allow the relevant agencies do the work.
The politicians can do the sanitising at funerals and public rallies.
Former prime minister, and now Kenya’s envoy without portfolio, Raila Odinga seems to have gotten his Road to Damascus moment since the March 9 historical handshake. He has suddenly developed amazing confidence in public institutions and turned from their most vicious critic to an ardent defender. The change of heart of the Opposition leader can only be good news to a nation populated with souls whose optimism has been on the downward trend for some time now.
But his renewed faith in some of the public institutions is not unfounded. Neither is it unique to him. There is enough reason for Kenyans to have some measured optimism in agencies such as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) especially after they were given new heads early in the year. We have seen them work.
MADNESS
Though many can easily dismiss the public display of bravado from the two offices as enthusiasm common with new appointments, it does not hurt for the country to give these officers some benefit of doubt and accord them the necessary support.
In the same light, the institutions doing things in the same old way and not producing desired results must be called out for their madness. So, when on Monday Mr Odinga told off Parliament for its abrogated hypocrisy of investigating corruption in the country, it came as no surprise.
The august House has not done well on this front lately.
EXONORATE
In 2016, at the height of the Afya House Sh5 billion scandal, the parliamentary committee on health that was mandated to investigate the viability and value for money, or lack therefore, of the 100 mobile clinic units, was thrown into confusion as members publicly disagreed. In typical political pandering, the MPs took predictable sides with those friendly to the ruling party at the time seeming to justify the procurement while those in the Opposition pointed out the otherwise obvious irregularities. Then chairperson of the committee, Rachel Nyamai exhibited an unusual zeal to exonerate those culpable in the procurement and importation of the units alleged to have been overpriced to the tune of hundreds of millions of shillings.
Two years after the “impressive” tour, the units are yet to be put to any beneficial use and most of the members of the committee, and their report, are sitting pretty in Parliament.
SHODDY REPORT
In the same year, the Public Accounts Committee also made a spectacle of itself while interrogating former Devolution Cabinet Secretary and now Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru in relation to the first National Youth Service Scandal in which the country reportedly lost close to a billion shillings. MPs at the sitting were falling over one another in an effort to look good to their client instead of asking the hard questions.
Fast forward to 2018 and the game is still the same. The country is informed of a scandal that puts the lives of its entire population at risk, its suspected architects are identified and the National Assembly pretends to take the matter up only to come up with a report that its own head labels as shoddy.
The ongoing investigations into the importation of sugar said to contain dangerous metals is as serious a matter any can get. It is absurd to see members of parliamentary committee falling over themselves to shake hands of suspects appearing before them with the excitement of nursery school pupils who have for the first time met heroes of their favourite cartoons! Some even rushed to social media to extol the virtues of the suspects as and describing them as investors good for the “western economy” even before they could retreat and compile a report.
HUNGRY DOG
By looking at the behaviour of the parliamentary committees, it will be difficult to disagree with Mr Odinga that asking MPs to investigate corruption is like sending a hungry dog to catch a man meat. Chances that the man will give the dog a small piece of the meat and have it wag its tail to his tune are very high.
When it comes to corruption, MPs have neither the moral authority nor the technical capacity to investigate. They should keep off and allow the relevant agencies do the work. The politicians can do the sanitising at funerals and public rallies.
Mr Mugwang’a is a communications consultant based in Nairobi. Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @Mikeysoul
