Corruption and Ethnicity has been termed as the major national challenge that affected the country.
Kenyan Constitutional lawyer, Professor Yash Pal Ghai on Thursday said the two vices are giving the nation negative reputation both locally and globally.
Prof. Ghai who was speaking during an Institutional Stakeholders Consultative forum in Nairobi said the current constitution covers the issue of leadership and integrity and gives the remedy to these two challenges.
“The remedy of corruption is in the constitution. Chapter 6 of the constitution is dedicated to the issue of leadership and integrity, if it is followed by the leaders and the stakeholders, we would not have all these challenges,” he said.
Professor Ghai explained that ethnicity was forced to Kenyans by the Colonialists and now has become a norm considering that many Kenyans have lost their lives in the past years due to politician`s love of ethnicity.
“Ethnicity causes more problems in Kenya, it has been used as way to discriminate minor groups in our society but the remedy of this problem lies in constitution,” he re-emphasized.
The Constitutional Lawyer further told the stakeholders that in order to curb the challenge of divisive elections, the stakeholders in the electoral system should take note what the constitution outlines about integrity.
This, he added will ensure they follow it to deliver a free and fair elections. “In my participation in the boards of the IEBC, I noted that the commissions are dishonest and corrupt” he said.
On the issue of safety and security, Prof. Ghai urged the government to put more efforts and resources to curb national security threats.
He added that there have been killings by police in the slums and the government should look in to the issue.
“National security in Kenya is subject to the authority of the constitution. The Constitution promises the citizens safety, stability and peace,” he reiterated.
During the meeting, Prof. Ghai noted there are challenges in the devolution system, adding that some governors are not doing well in terms of development since resources have not been shared equitably amongst counties.
Dr. S.K Macharia, a stakeholder and media mogul emphasized on the issues of corruption and divisive election saying that those in power should obey the constitution and take measures provided to fight corruption.
“I can assure you that there is no election in Kenya that has never been tampered with, I have the statistics, if anyone would need evidence”, he added.
The Stakeholders meeting was held today under “The Building Bridge Initiative task force established by the president and the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to evaluate the national challenges outlined in the Joint Communiqué of ‘Building Bridges to a New Kenyan Nation, and make practical recommendations and reform proposals that build lasting unity.
By Wangari Ndirangu and KNA Team
