More heads must roll in the corruption war

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s mini Cabinet reshuffle Friday sent strong signals he is getting impatient with non-performers and those of suspicious character. Certainly that was a timely and decisive move. But it is not enough — there must be far-reaching changes. He must carry out further purge in the Cabinet and appoint people of substance, honour and credibility. He has baggage in the Cabinet which he does not need.

For the past several months, we have argued the government cannot deliver with the current Cabinet. It requires thorough shake up. First, serious questions have emerged about credibility and suitability of a number of Cabinet ministers and principal secretaries (PSs) to continue staying in office. This particularly relates to ministers and ministries adversely mentioned in corrupt deals.

At the moment, public’s focus is on the unravelling scandal around construction of dams, which spans several ministries. Some decisions made by ministers and principal secretaries are criminal and irreconcilable. Yet those implicated are still holding office and thriving on public resources. But this is just the current scenario. Several ministries — Agriculture, Energy, Transport and Infrastructure, Trade and Industrialisation, Devolution, among others — have at various times in recent times been mentioned adversely in corrupt and fraudulent deals. We acknowledge that mere suspicion is not enough proof of culpability. But when glaring questions and doubts arise over one’s management and performance in a ministry or position, action must follow.

Second is a category of joyriding ministers and PSs who literally lounge in office and do pretty little to serve the public. Some ministries are operating on autopilot as the ministers and PSs went to slumber. Such are a burden to the public and must be let go.

At the centre of all this is politics. Fractious and acrimonious politics translate into poor choices. It is recalled the current Cabinet was composed against a backdrop of high-octane politics that followed the rancorous polls of 2017. Many people were appointed to ministerial and PS positions for political reasons. Worse, vetting was flawed as nominees were never interrogated on the basis of competence but political and ethnic persuasion. Parliament ended up approving names of people who should not be in any public office either by dint of lack of qualification and experience or morality and character.

Since, however, the tide has changed and the political landscape is totally different, which provides perfect chance for shuffling. President Kenyatta now has the latitude to reorganise the Cabinet and do the right thing. Similarly, Parliament can now act and scrutinise nominees dispassionately. We applaud the reshuffle but ask that he should act and get rid of the baggage.