A change is coming

Collective responsibility in the Cabinet means that when government decides on a policy, no member of the Cabinet should be seen to be reading from a different script. Collective responsibility is both administrative and political. The cabinet of President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga oftentimes seems to be reading from multiple scripts, resulting in multiple interpretations of their individual responsibility to proclaimed government policy. It s becoming apparent as the weeks roll by that members of the Cabinet are positioning themselves to take a stab at various positions in the post-2012 dispensation, and this informs the decisions of many of the Ministers and assistant Ministers to hang on for dear life to their portfolios the moment scandals emerge from within and without their ministries. Wilfred Machage was the first member of cabinet to be suspended for his utterances during the Referendum Campaigns. He variously protested his innocence or proclaimed umbrage at the President and Prime Minister for using their offices to 'finish his political career'. William Ruto refused to accept that a court of law would finally hear his trial in a corruption case dating back to 2004. Moses Wetangula professed innocence until the day it became apparent that his only friends were Noah Wekesa, Soita Shitanda and Dr. Eseli Simiyu. His resignation had been on the cards for weeks and if it had not been for the fact that he did not enjoy the support of the President or the Prime Minister he would have continued to stay put, come hell or high water.

It is now Musalia Mudavadi and Charity Ngilu whose hides are on the line and considering the fact that the PM seems to be in their corner, they may hold on longer than is strictly necessary. Hon. Mudavadi must answer for the Cemetery Deal while Hon. Ngilu must answer for the manner in which allocations in her ministry are made regarding who gets and who doesn't get water projects. I suspect that Hon. Ngilu may came out better than Hon. Musalia if only for the fact that despite the fact that she seems to favour Ukambani when it comes to allocating resources, only a blind man can claim that the area is not water-starved. The cemetery deal has already claimed the scalps of Hon. Mudavadi's Permanent Secretary and the Mayor of Nairobi. It is a matter of time before its entrails are traced to the Minister's door and he too is forced to quit.

What is becoming apparent, if it was not already, is that a Cabinet berth is a valuable tool if one wants to prolong their political careers in Kenya. Hon. Ruto's resignation has deprived him of the cover many members of the cabinet use to evade scrutiny by various governance bodies, such as the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission. While he can still travel round the country campaigning, regardless of the fact that there is no general election in the offing, he will do so without the prestige that is accorded by the ministerial flag flying from the bonnet of his limousine. He will no longer enjoy the services of government security officers playing outrider during his campaign stops. He will not enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with ministerial office as he attempts to vindicate himself in court or at the ICC. In other words, he will be seen as powerless and defenseless against the onslaughts of those who wish to do him political harm. Unless he plays his cards right, even his beloved North Rift will abandon him when it becomes apparent that he can no longer guarantee them government goodies.

In the West, whenever credible evidence is adduced of malfeasance in a government department, whether or not the head of that department is complicit, the honourable thing is to resign immediately and pave way for impartial investigations. If the person was innocent, it is likely that his political rehabilitation will be a priority of the leaders of his government or his party and he may find himself back in his old positions or in a brand new one. In Kenya, the opposite is frequently true, especially when it comes to Ministers and their Permanent Secretaries. They usually attempt to shift blame on other minions, forgetting that the impression they create is that either they were not in charge or that they do not recognise that they are ultimately responsible for the goings-on in the ministries. Hon. Wetangula shamefully tried to lay the blame elsewhere, arguing that since he was not an accounting officer, he could not be held responsible for the actions of his underlings. He asked that they be the ones to carry water over the disgraceful way public resources had been managed. His attempt at sophistry was rightfully rejected and he has now been forced to 'step aside' while investigations are conducted into the irregular and illegal acts in his erstwhile ministry. Mr. Ahmednasir Abdulahi is correct: he should have resigned and just stepped aside.

When the new Cabinet is appointed in 2013, it is hoped that when a grave matter is brought to light, Cabinet Secretaries will take full responsibility for the mess and resign. Kenyans will not accept claims that 'others' are to blame, but expect the responsible leaders to vacate office until their names are cleared or they are convicted of some crime. Only then can we say that collective responsibility is being practiced.