Extend vetting to Civil Service, Parliament

The vetting of judges that culminated in Court of Appeal judges being jettisoned for various reasons is another feather in Kenya’s cap. That judgments made during the previous regime have boomeranged on the practitioners means aggrieved parties can now appeal to reverse rulings wrongly passed. The Goldenberg case that mentioned PNU leader George Saitoti means he should kiss his presidential ambition goodbye and look for something else to do.

In reforms, Kenya is way ahead of the pack. That reminds me of the war of independence. Kenyans took up arms to chase the British before other nations thought of it at least south of the Sahara. We, therefore, must thank ourselves for the continued spirit of reform. It will take long before the job is finally done.

Kariuki Muiri, Karatina

Four senior judges are no longer part of the Judiciary. The reasons for their expulsion were varied, but authoritarianism, dancing to the tune of the Executive, and abetting corruption and torture captured my ear. These are serious reasons the same vetting should be extended to the Legislature and the Executive. Public confidence should be restored in all institutions.

The IEBC, for instance, must come up with stringent conditions for any person aspiring for elective office. We have suffered a lot under the Legislature, which now is proposing Sh18 billion budget to fund its activities and hefty send-off. All these are coming at a time Kenyans are grappling with high interest rates, skyrocketing inflation, and persistent public service strikes due to poor pay.

The vetting of public office holders will bring honesty, diligence and commitment that as a nation we have been lacking. It should be extended also to appointment of CEOs of various public organisations like Teachers Service Commission. Complaints of corruption by the teachers seeking services at TSC are common including intimidation of teachers especially principals by TSC officers.

Another good example is the appointment of Commissioner of Police. He simply discharges his duties as the appointing authority desires. How do you explain the violent break up of Limuru IIB meeting by the police when the same provided security to another group that had met in the same venue before?

Vetting of public officers must become part of our culture not a one-time event. Our challenges are more than the Judiciary and we need to have this in mind.

Patrick Mutua, Kibwezi

The move by the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board is commendable. But the vetting should have done in public like the interviews for the Chief Justice to make it transparent. Kenyans have a right to be involved even if it’s by watching on TV.

We have a right to get information on the whole process to erase any doubts. Finally, another board ought to be formed to vet lawyers since it is no secret that the judges who abuse the court process do so in collaboration with lawyers.

Jere Kiptui, Nakuru

The Judiciary has elected to clear the baggage of the corrupt era. A leap forward will serve to show justice is being done to Kenyans whose faith in the judges dwindled. The move to sack the ‘rotten’ judges was welcome but the mode lacked in ethics. Emmanuel O’ Kubasu, Joseph Nyamu, Samuel Bosire and Riaga Omollo reportedly received the sacking news while on official duty. A letter informing them the decision before the dismissal was in order before engaging the media.

Robert Amalemba, Kakamega

Save parents arbitrary fees increase

In the din of the current political noise in a country that has been in the election mode since the bungled one in 2007, attention seems to have shifted from issues of importance to the electorate to alliance building by the political class ahead of 2013 General Elections.

The lawmakers are so immersed in their quest for votes, which have seen them run around the country, wooing the ever-gullible voters.

Matters would have been different if this and other elections were about issues of compelling public and national interest. 

Talking of issues, some school heads, taking full advantage of this perpetual confusion and glaring accountability gap, have taken into arbitrarily increasing school fees.

This happens even after the students are issued with a fee structure stating how much is to be paid for a given school year. No sooner is this amount paid than the parents are asked to cough out more cash, with head teachers citing inflation and Government reluctance to bump up the subsidy. It is as if the only ones who are cushioned from the ravages of runaway inflation are parents.

cash cow

Not even the Ministry of Education guidelines concerning levy administration is adhered to.

Recently, a public boarding school issued a fee structure stating clearly that students will pay an annual fee of Sh38,000, the bulk of it, Sh25,000 to be paid during the first term.

Just before the end of the term, parents were called for a meeting where they were asked to part with Sh5,000 more during the second school term. Students were expected to report with the full amount of Sh19,000 for second term with no instalments and the balance of Sh3,900 to be paid in the final school term.

Education provision has become a cash cow: the school bus project, borehole, dormitory construction and others where parents pay the entire four years.

Question is: where does this money go? Is it any wonder that some head teachers would rather hang on than go on transfer after ‘investing’ so much in the institution under their jurisdiction?

Unlike banks known for having hidden charges carefully concealed in the fine prints, parents are fleeced in broad daylight, with the full knowledge of education officers. Parents, who complain during meeting seeking to know the basis for the arbitrary increment, are arrogantly asked to play ball or transfer their children to other schools.

failed leadership

It appears parents will have to organize themselves into distinct groups and address the issues seeing that their elected representatives have failed miserably!

The media too has a crucial role to play and must take up such issues and stay with them until the relevant authorities do something constructive.

For, what is democracy and media freedom if civil liberties are trampled upon by unscrupulous individuals and institutions?

Dafala Ibrahim, Kisumu

Knec’s failed test in bookshop management

On Wednesday, April 25, I went to the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) Mitihani Bookshop at NHC House along Agha Khan Walk to buy KCPE past papers for my students. I needed papers for 1985 to 1999 because the 2000 series are readily available in River Road. However, I felt disappointed with bookshop attendant and the security man.

The security man was rude and he physically stopped me from accessing papers in the shelf yet he would not get me the papers by himself. He was just scrolling his phone and listening to music. In this era, I find his conduct wanting. Does his job include attending to customers in the bookshop or keeping security? The woman attendant kept muttering words in her mother tongue to the security man.

Papers and other materials in this vital facility are haphazardly arranged and papers that should only take seconds to retrieve take hours. The dust in the shelves is palpable. What should be a neat and modern bookshop by the nature of the materials they sell has been neglected.

It took my prompting to even get a receipt for papers I had bought. Put your house in order. Everything else at KNEC has changed, but not Mitihani Bookshop.

Kabautania Ndigi, Nairobi

Lack of university places an injustice

Lack of places for qualified KCSE candidates in public universities is laxity by the Government to respond to immediate needs of its citizens.

With education being an indispensable factor for development, the unpreparedness of our leaders is to blame for the inability to attain global standards. The Government should at least be sensitive to the way these young Kenyans have struggled for years in high schools to secure such positions. It is high time leaders relinquish bickering and address this injustice. How then do we achieve Vision 2030?

Abukar Noor, Elwak

Kudos KFS on Mt Kenya tree planting plan

After losing over 1,000 hectares of vegetation through forest fires in Mt Kenya forest, the next best step could certainly be reforestation. The move by Kenya Forest Service to start planting trees at the onset of the rainy season is commendable. Mt Kenya is a lifeline for people, domestic animals, and wildlife as a major water tower, and ought to be preserved. People in the neighbourhood should be educated on its importance to stop the fires.

Robert Amalemba, Kakamega