Give Your Views on Leadership & Integrity Bill

It has been a busy news week, so it’s easy to have been distracted from the fact that the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution is inviting the public to give their views on the Leadership and Integrity Bill, 2o12. The deadline for contributing to your views on the Bill is today, Friday 20th July 2012.

“Pursuant to section 5 (6) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution, Section 4 of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution Act, 2010 and in the spirit of up holding the principle of public participation under Article 10 of the constitution, the Commission for the Implementation of the (CIC) hereby seeks public views on the Leadership and Integrity Bill…Members of the public are invited to submit their memorandum either in hand or by e-mail by Friday, 20th July 2012. Written memorandum may be delivered by post to P.O. Box 48041 00100 Nairobi, Kenya or e-mailed to manager@cickenya.org”

The way in which the country is run i.e. well or poorly, in the interest of the people or in the interest political elite, is inextricably linked to the to the quality, integrity and interests of leaders that the country has. No one would argue that the leadership of the country of is desperate need of some kind of reform; we have the scandals to prove the need for reform. In fact reform is one of the platforms we’ve seen several electoral candidates run on so far.

The Leadership and Integrity Bill, 2012 is a crucial step in realising the making of a new Kenya. So far the Leadership and Integrity Bill has gone through several drafts, its been drafted, redrafted and drafted again. The document, though still in bill form once enacted, has the potential to either create a break with the with the political impunity by establishing concrete integrity and leadership benchmarks by which leaders will be vetted in the next election; or if the watered down the bill will be nothing more than a rubber stamp for impunity and business as usual.

Why passing a robust a leadership and integrity bill is a catch 22 situation is that the very people we are expecting to pass the robust bill are also the people that could be potentially be caught out by the requirements of a strong leadership and integrity requirements. Leaders hostile to change have the potential to undermine the reforms, of the which the leadership and integrity bill forms a critical part, which would move the country forward. Fortunately, in contrast with past practice, the public can now actively participate in the crafting of the Leadership and Integrity Bill.

Download a copy of the Leadership and Integrity Bill, 2012, on the CIC website here. Find a summary of the Leadership and Integrity Bill and other general leadership, ethics, and integrity issues on which the CIC seeks the public views here.

Posted by Mzalendo Editor on July 20, 2012

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