Former DPP Philip Murgor is eyeing the presidency on a UDM ticket. He decries Kenya‘s problems of failed leadership, corruption and an escalating debt. He spoke to Standard Digital Editor David Ohito on his game plan for power
Question: Why are you offering yourself for presidential elections?
Answer: Kenya is at a crossroads and its very future is at stake. The issue of tribalism is at its worse, in our history. As things look, we are headed for another disputed election, and this time, the consequences will be worse than what we witnessed after the disputed 2007 presidential General Election.
From the two almost equal forces opposing each other; Jubilee and CORD, Kenya is split down the middle and critically needs a candidate who will unite the country. Not just a compromise candidate, but one who has the strength and resolve to lead the country to better times.
The present coalitions are ethnic alliances designed to simply recycle the old script of alienating some communities as a measure of revenge while squandering the opportunity to unite the country and make it a great nation.
Q: What do you offer that is different from other presidential candidates?
A: Kenya is a country with immense potential but bedeviled by weak and failed leadership. Runaway corruption (on which the President has admitted failure), and a national debt of Sh3.7 trillion, which has escalated to unsustainable levels present a huge challenge.
A disputed election, which turns violent, will trigger default in our repayment obligations and an economic meltdown. More than ever, we critically need visionary leadership and decisive solutions, which I offer.
I am decisive, courageous and honest. During my time as the Director of Public Prosecutions, the corrupt and drug barons lived in fear, hence my sacking. The criminal cartels are still in place and can only be eliminated through the right person becoming President and Commander in Chief. Right now, our politics stinks. I will bring the change that Kenya deserves.
Q: What in your opinion are the biggest challenges facing Kenya?
A: There is runaway grand corruption fed by reckless spending on infrastructural projects well beyond our immediate requirements. Expensive projects are worthless if the citizens do not enjoy a basic standard of living and professionals like doctors in the public service are not adequately compensated for their services.
An escalating national debt, and the cancer of ethnicity is manifesting itself into tribal bastions. Tribalism will explode into violence as soon as it is triggered and fuelled by the rising poverty levels. A failed leadership and weak institutions will only compound the problem. Once started, all the bullets and teargas will not be able to bring sanity back, until the damage is done.
Kenya requires leaders who are visionary, consistent and can restore the country back on the path of reform and prosperity, as contemplated by the Constitution.
Despite the loud Jubilee rhetoric, women and the youth have not had a fair deal. Industrialists, farmers and businessmen are all scaling down or closing their businesses altogether. Only a few ‘tenderprenuers’ who front for Chinese companies are enjoying the benefits of the so called growth of the economy. We need a Kenyan approach to all our national endeavors.
Q: Do you have the war-chest of resources readied for the presidential battle?
A: I do not have the billions that IEBC think should be spent on a presidential petition. I do not have the helicopters from which I will throw out money to the impoverished citizens.
Today, you will not find many Kenyans who will vote for a candidate on the payment of a few shillings, but you will find millions who will crowd around a candidate to receive a handout to go and buy a packet of posho. If Kenyans are given a clear choice, they will vote for a good candidate.
I also ask Kenyans to demand that presidential candidates declare the sources and extent of their wealth, as a moral requirement. In this way, their honesty and commitment to fighting corruption will be judged.
Finally, by the same token, an outgoing president should declare publicly his or her wealth to guard against the accumulation of wealth through the presidency.
Any presidential candidate who spends billions, which they cannot explain publicly, must be presumed to have gotten it from illegal sources, including public coffers.
On my part, I do not have the billions that you ask about, and I will be asking for support from well-wishers, and Kenyans of good will, to contribute to my campaign, in any amount they can afford.
President Barack Obama embarked on his presidential campaign without any significant amount of money and without a clear base of supporters. Through contributions, he ended up with a well-funded campaign and success, by gaining the support of a vast majority of Americans.
Q: Do you have confidence in the current Supreme Court of Kenya to be an impartial arbiter in a disputed presidential election?
A: Concerns and criticisms were raised about the conduct of the 2013 presidential petition. Perhaps, we were lucky because Kenya was not in a volatile mode.
The Supreme Court has three new appointees and it, therefore, has an opportunity to regain the reputation of a credible arbiter. In view of the volatile state of the country’s politics today, the Supreme Court has to enjoy the confidence of the political players and the public generally, otherwise the losing candidate or candidates may not bother to file a petition and pursue more destabilizing options.
It is in the Jubilee government’s best interest, to ensure that it provides the enabling environment for the Supreme Court and IEBC to be credible.
Q: Is the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, as currently constituted, capable of delivering free, fair and credible elections?
A: IEBC is not, as presently constituted, capable of undertaking a General Election, let alone a credible one. A lot of work requires to be done under the law, and time is fast running out.
The President must show leadership to facilitate the constitution of a credible IEBC, because he will ultimately be held responsible for any short comings.
Q: Do you believe in Opposition and the mooted grand alliance?
A: I support the Opposition unity, but it must present itself as a unifying option for the entire country without corruption, so as not to alienate any section of community in Kenya.
Short of that, a narrow win by the Opposition will just lead to a different group eating meat, whilst the other half on the outside undermining the government for the next five years, while waiting for their turn.
Q: Are you a stalking horse for another candidate?
A: Definitely not. However, my candidature presents different challenges to different candidates. Most do not know how to face it, and hence the speculation.
I am simply a patriotic Kenyan who has the honesty, courage and resolve to stand up and provide a different option and a new direction in the country’s politics.
I challenge the media to highlight all these issues, and in particular, the need for drastic change if we are to bequeath a prosperous country to future generations.
