Governors have gone a tad too far with demand for special treatment

It was John Fitzgerald Kennedy who gave us the unforgettable line, “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country”.

Unfortunately, our leaders would hear none of this; its wisdom notwithstanding. Governors now want to be treated differently from other Kenyans because they are “special”. They are fighting to be treated as a special class without feeling any flinch of guilt.

Through their umbrella body, Council of Governors (CoG), the county bosses say that they do not deserve to be treated “guilty as charged even before being subjected to courts of law.”  They want “dignified arrests” because dignity is a “human right guaranteed in the Constitution.”

Ironically, what the governors are demanding is constitutional and should be enjoyed by all Kenyans. Why, pray should they feel that they are the ones who need to be treated in a special way or whatever dignified means? But for this unbridled selfishness, this country faces a bleak future.

This scenario reminds me of The Animal Farm by George Orwell where although the goal of Animal Farm was to create an egalitarian society where all were equal in worth and social status, the principles of animalism quickly changed. The commandments are changed and the laws become “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause” and “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

Political culture

Nobility be hanged. There was a time when our leaders saw it as their job to bring out the best in their followers. These days, they see their best chance as pandering to our dark side - our fears, our weaknesses, and our selfishness. Self-centeredness not only comes naturally, it’s officially encouraged. On what basis should you decide which politician to support? The one that’s offering you the best deal, of course. Sad.

If you ask me, we have a problem with effectiveness of our political system. Take this one example which can’t happen to a Kenyan Governor or any mheshimiwa for that matter. Early this year, disgraced former UK Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was jailed for three months after lying to police to avoid a speeding ticket. The judge imposed a three-month sentence, saying to Onasanya “you let down not just yourself, but your profession and your parliament.”

These words from the Judge in the UK in the case in which an MP has since been recalled and a by-election called, shows how the UK’s political culture is different from ours and how politicians are expected to be of high standards of integrity. Justice Stuart-Smith in this case went on to say: “It is not one law for those in a position of responsibility and power and another for those that are not”.

As if this is not enough, Ms Onasanya, the former MP could face more sanctions- she faces real prospects of getting struck off as a solicitor by Solicitors Regulations Authority (SRA) in the UK. It is alleged she failed to “uphold the proper administration of justice”, “act with integrity” and “behave in a way that maintains the trust the public places in her and the provision of legal services.”

Special class

Clearly, such is unimaginable in Kenya where politicians are a law unto themselves. The real problem with Kenyan  politics is the growing tendency among our politicians to pursue victory above all else—to treat politics as the business of ‘get rich quick schemes’—which runs counter to basic democratic values and looks set to wipe out Kenya’s ability to reach solutions to challenges that face her.

Instead of focusing on challenges which face the country and the way forward, politicians’ appetite for special class seems to be more urgent. Parliamentarians have already done that and are waiting for another chance and, for sure, MCA would be next.  And because the phenomena seem to be taking shape at all levels, where does that leave the ordinary Kenyan who has to bear all that in taxes and other forms?

This brings into sharp focus our political culture and governance and the current calls for constitutional change. Have we put the bar so low on our leadership standards? What’s the role of money in politics and our political culture? The phenomenon seems to have taken on a life of its own, in Kenyan politics and it is threatening the nation’s capacity to solve critical challenges in these hard economic times.

I can’t firmly say as yet if Kenyan politics have totally gone astray, but we are headed in the wrong direction. Years from now, people may marvel at how the Kenyan political system, seemingly at war with itself, managed to carry the nation successfully through a most difficult period like has happened before. But it’s also possible that they will look back and wonder how the country allowed bad politics to undercut a vibrant economy.

The belief that politicians are all shysters maybe a universal one, but Kenyan politicians, especially governors, may just have gone overboard.

Prof Mogambi, a Communication and Social Change Expert, teaches at University of Nairobi.hmogambi@yahoo.co.uk