Civil society report on graft offer sound and fury and no solution

Africa Centre for Open Governance (Africog) Executive Director Gladwell Otieno, address a press conference in Nairobi in 2017. [File, Standard]

The recent release of the haughtily named report State Capture: Inside Kenya’s Inability to Fight Corruption, by the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG), was another example of smoke and mirrors in Kenyan politics.

The release of the report was met with wall to wall coverage in the media, but interestingly while there were plenty of slogans there was precious little substance.

Most interestingly, the actual report cannot be read or downloaded from AfriCog’s website, even though all of its other reports are easily accessible.

Mere coincidence?

The release of the report was not coincidentally timed in the same week as the release of a report by the Uwazi Consortium, a loosely based group of self-styled civil society organisations, which slammed the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga last year.

The fact that this preposterous proposition was released only days apart from the AfriCOG report, and during a time when there are other shadowy and concerted efforts to undermine Uhuru’s war on corruption and Big 4 Agenda amply demonstrates the overtly politically-motivated nature of the most recent release.

In fact, it is clear from Mr Wachira Maina, a constitutional lawyer who authored the report, and one who has a record of opposition to Uhuru, even suggesting that Raila “would have no choice but to up the ante” after the 2017 contested elections, that politics is at the forefront of the thinking of those behind the report.

“Publicity-driven prosecutions are likely to deepen rather than undermine corruption, as indictments and prosecutions get weaponised to partisan ends for the 2022 elections,” the report says.

This is arguably the most ironic of a report dripping with caustic and subjective statements like that.

Publicity-driven, nothing serious

The fact remains that the authors are obviously publicity-driven and that is why, rather than writing a serious and welcome report containing recommendations about how Uhuru’s war on corruption could be waged, it is about merely pointing fingers and little matter than can assist the president’s fight.

Furthermore, while it fully admits that there have been major investigations, indictments and prosecutions, it claims that these are for partisan ends aiming at the 2022 elections.

In their bile, perhaps the authors forgot that President Uhuru Kenyatta will not be contesting the 2022 elections and he is leading the investigations.

Anyone who has been following the news of late will see that many prospective candidates in the upcoming presidential elections have tried to attack the war on corruption, simply because so many high-level Kenyans have been under investigation that all sides are feeling targeted.

President Kenyatta has seen no political affiliation in his war on corruption and friends and foe alike have been placed under the microscope by DPP Noordin Haji and his team.

It is of course not an easy process, especially when trying to overturn endemic corruption and craft that have been part and parcel of the country for many decades.

Uhuru is fighting a system that does not seek or want change. There are far too many stakeholders that will fight him at every corner and will use all means necessary.

It can certainly not be discounted that a concerted and coordinated effort to halt his success is being manufactured before our eyes.

We have seen the political, legal and institutional opposition to Uhuru’s battle to rescue our nation from the disease of corruption.

Weaponised civil service

What we are now witnessing is the weaponisation of certain sectors of civil society by people with apparently deep pockets and long-term goals. We saw their attempts to sway our support before the 2017 elections against Uhuru, partly because they knew he would act in the national rather than the narrow interest.

Fancy names and lofty-sounding reports must not divert our support for those who stand against corruption and theft from the nation’s pocket. We must read every report with open eyes and inquisitive minds.

Any politicisation of civil society organisations must be rejected by the society which they purport to represent.

We must judge an issue on its merits and not be distracted by those with undeclared intentions who seek to defray our attention with flashy releases and reports that say very little and attack those who do much.

Mr Maore is the Igembe North Member of Parliament. In 2005, he blew the whistle on what was known as the Anglo Leasing scandal.