We must insist on public accountability

The infamous List of Shame of public officials mentioned in connection with corruption has captured news headlines in the past week.

For years now, Kenya has lost a lot of money because of corruption. This is money which would have funded projects to improve the lives of ordinary Kenyans. 

One of the reasons corruption thrives is lack of accountability where public funds are concerned. While asking the big shots named in connection with corruption to step aside pending investigations is a step in the right direction, we must put in place measures to ensure that not a single cent of taxpayers’ money goes to waste.

This can only be attained through strict accountability. Public accountability means that those in charge of the funds must account for how they are used.

This means that public officials must be held responsible for their actions while in office. For this to work well, there must be certain norms and values that the officials should be required to observe. At the same time, there must be clear sanctions that spell out how they can be punished if they fail to observe the norms and values.

There should also be specific benefits for public officials who obey the rules. With a new constitution and a resurgent Judiciary, it should not take a president’s speech for individuals adversely mentioned in corrupt dealings to step aside from public service. They should already be in a court of law trying to prove their innocence.

Another setback is the reluctance to prosecute cases involving prominent personalities and this has eroded the public’s confidence in the commitment of the government to tame corruption.

When a country is able to enforce accountability in public service, one of the outcomes is the promotion of good governance. That means good and competent management of public affairs.

None of this can be achieved without the political will of the leadership. It is only those who govern who can set targets on public accountability and strive to achieve them.

TRACK RECORD

Unfortunately, the political leadership of successive regimes has only paid lip service to the war on corruption and shown little commitment to promoting public accountability.

Kenya can learn from the United States, where public accountability is a moral responsibility. When Barack Obama was elected for the first time in 2008, he picked Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, for the position of secretary for Commerce .

This was an important position because America needed a strong and competent person to lead it out of the crippling global recession that was unfolding at around that time.

Although it was a general consensus that Mr Richardson had a good track record and would probably handle the job well, he withdrew his name from being considered because of a pending investigation into whether his administration gave lucrative contracts to his committees.

If the government is serious about fighting corruption, the individuals who have been asked to step aside should not expect the President to reserve their positions for them as any serious and conclusive investigation can take weeks or even months.

This would be one way of assuring Kenyans that the newfound resolve to fight corruption is not just a gimmick. It must be a continuous purge. 

Mukurima Muriuki is a conflict resolution strategist and speech writer based in Los Angeles. @mukurima