|
KENYANS are shocked following the discovery by a committee investigating graft in the judiciary that 152 out of the country�s 300 judges are [irreparably] corrupt and prone to unethical conduct.
TO some, however, these findings are not entirely surprising considering that a few years ago an international party of legal brains determined that our eastern neighbour�s judiciary was almost in tatters.
THE refreshing thing, though, is that the chief investigating officer in this case is himself a judge. Remember that it is not usual in Africa for the monkey to burn down a forest where it is resident.
JUSTICE Aaron Ringera was colourful in his description of the �dragon (read corruption)� that has eaten into the judicial community and warned that �it is bound to snort, kick and jump and even attack, for corruption always fights back�.
THIS was another good point in that he did not merely state the facts but also warned the parties who appointed him that only half the work has been done.
ONE has to search with desperation before stumbling upon an example of similar studious and fearless exposure of institutional graft by a Ugandan commission of inquiry. At best, we have been presented with lukewarm reports each time a probe was set up.
Note here that in most cases the reports are �sanitised� to save certain �big people� from embarrassment.
Uganda suffers the notoriety of lying with the 10 most corrupt nations of the world according to very recent Transparency International findings.
STORIES of unrestrained ravaging of the public purse no longer shock a cynical public.
In fact, many people in this country now believe in the �eating� principle where when one is appointed to public office the priority is to map out ways of stealing tax-payers� money.
THIS government has lost a lot of ground because of this and it is troubling that the administration prefers to argue against allegations that it tolerates fraudulent behaviour instead of pursuing the matter with vigour.
THE Kenyan example on the bench, to a degree, vindicates President Mwai Kibaki�s election promise to crack the whip and is a challenge to our leaders.
| 
