Kinoti, Haji feuds bad for fight against graft
By Editorial, March 5, 2020
The internecine feuds between two critical offices— Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Directorate of Criminal Investigations— that have been in the forefront in the war against corruption could undermine progress in the noble cause.
Whether perceived or real, the passionate and synced approach to dealing a mortal blow to the vice that has gnawed at the heart of the country’s socio-political and economic life for eons, is no more.
The simmering disagreement between DPP Noordin Haji and DCI George Kinoti played out in court on Monday after the arrest and arraignment of Kenya Ports Authority managing director Daniel Manduku over suspect tenders.
The upshot of such incidents, and others being enacted behind the scenes, will be a stalled anti-graft war.
Aware of the high public demand to slay the corruption monster, President Uhuru Kenyatta has staked his legacy on it. Besides, the government has poured massive resources into the war.
That is why the two offices and other State organs such as the Judiciary, the State Law office, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Police Service and the Assets Recovery Authority, that play a role in the fight, must ensure results are achieved.
While the spotlight has been on the DPP and DCI, who hit the ground running with unprecedented passion and focus that led to the now-famous Friday arrests of high profile graft suspects, the other players have appeared peripheral.
Though fingers have been pointed at the Judiciary as the weakest link in the graft war for failing to deliver convictions, the voice of the Attorney General has been disturbingly muted.
The other organ that stands indicted is Parliament, that gathering of political elite that is charged with formulating laws and policies to aid in the fight against the vice.
Unfortunately, the conduct has been wanting with some of its members being linked to the vice.
But one thing is clear; the war on graft must be won by all means. Kenyans are demanding total commitment and results from those they have entrusted with the task of delivering them from jaws of this deadly monster.
Unfortunately, this cannot be achieved if the institutions and officials who are expected to deliver the demands are locked in needless turf wars.
The feuds must stop. The only war they should be fighting, and winning, is corruption.