Degrees saga an opportunity to clean up politics

For the first time in our electoral politics, a key integrity issue has taken centre stage. The authenticity of degrees held by candidates for high office has come under scrutiny.

Probably because of his profile as a high-flying, youthful and urbane senator of the capital city, the case of Johnson Sakaja, who is seeking to become Nairobi governor, has become the lightning rod for this issue.

Despite being cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, several gubernor contestants, along with Sakaja, are facing challenges with their degrees. 

Private individuals have petitioned the IEBC Dispute Resolution Committee over the integrity of degree qualifications for governor candidates Simba Arati (Kisii), Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos), Mithika Linturi (Meru), Granton Samboja (Taita Taveta) and Cleophas Malalah (Kakamega).

Irrespective of the outcome of the challenges, the issue of qualifications, especially degrees for those seeking higher office, is now firmly at the centre of clearance requirements. As the saga deepens, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions has asked the Criminal Investigations counterparts to investigate all those whose degree qualifications are suspect, and the institutions that played any part in authenticating the documents.

The even more encouraging thing is that it is public vigilance that is forcing the matter to the centre. The IEBC had cleared those whose cases are now at the centre of storm. They would now be home free if it was not for public petitions. The public is now fully onboard electoral governance even as IEBC falters.

The bottomline is that in 2027, it is highly unlikely that any candidate seeking high electoral office who has suspect qualifications will dare throw their hat in the ring, knowing there will be a very robust verification exercise. Imagine how many miscreants just this alone will weed out from seeking high office.

The second issue is one that must be resolved before 2027, seeing as it is probably too late now. The issue is that of  candidates who have cases pending in various courts. 

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission isolated 241 candidates from the entire list of people seeking various electoral offices, and handed it to IEBC. It wanted the IEBC not to clear these candidates.

IEBC has refused to play ball. Its position is that it will not bar anybody from running until they have exhausted all appeal options.

It is not looking good that IEBC seems to be the weak link in enforcing the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution on integrity.

Further, institutions must clean up their act. They have been tested and found badly wanting. The circus at the Commission for University Education (CUE) over the Sakaja degree saga has exposed that institution. 

How the same institution issues a letter of endorsement signed by its top executive, then revokes it a few days later by a chairman seemingly overruling his top officer amazes. And the institution still expects to maintain public confidence. CUE is overdue for drastic reforms.

The twin issues of genuine degrees and those facing charges are the bedrock of cleaning up Kenya’s politics. The institutions involved must do whatever is necessary to ensure by 2027, no candidate with suspect qualifications or cases before the courts is cleared to run for office. 

If this is achieved, Kenya will probably have dealt a mortal blow to the malfeasance that is executed by these candidates once they get into office. Kenya will be getting a swathe of clean candidates for the first time as its political leaders. It will enable the country move to the next stage of integrity threshold for office holders.

It will be a great step forward in cleaning up notoriously shadowy politics. All institutions involved in elections at any level must play their role. IEBC must lead the way. Wringing its hands and playing possum will not do.

— gathukara@gmail.com