For the past few weeks the whistleblower site Wikileaks has been publishing US diplomatic cables from all over the world. Kenya and its leadership have not been spared either. The cables have been too blunt in their description of world leaders. Our very own have been described as “old guard” and the country has been described as a haven of corruption and drug trafficking. I therefore do understand the fury of the President and the Right Honorable Prime Minister as regards to the leaked US diplomatic cables which have cast aspersions as to their commitment to the reform agenda. But on the other hand they should be grateful to the Wikileaks publishers for bringing to light how the US foreign policy/diplomacy works. However let’s not forget the content of the leaked cables. The cables would not have been published at a more opportune time than now when the country is grappling with the problems of drugs trafficking and corruption at the highest levels. Rather than engage in public mud-smearing competition with the US ambassador, the two Principals should be convening meetings with security chiefs and anti-corruptions tsars to deliberate on how these two problems will be dealt with once and for all.
The cables have confirmed the rumors that very highly placed people in government are involved in the trafficking of narcotics in Kenya. The government should move forcefully to ensure all the known drug lords, whether public figures or otherwise are brought to book and punished for their crimes. It should also ensure that the wealth that these individuals have amassed though this trade is taken over by the government and directed to a more justifiable cause of running rehabilitation centers for those who have been snared by the chains of drug use and abuse. The only deterrent for such crimes is by punishing those that are involved in the crime and the punishment meted on them should be such that it acts as a lesson to those who may be drawn to such crimes. The reason why impunity is so high in Kenya today is attributable to the simple reason that criminals who have the right connections go scot free; those that hold the highest responsibility go unpunished while their errand boys take the fall.
So rather than use the leaked cables as a way of getting back to the US envoy, it is a time for us to reflect and act on the truth that is contained in those cables. As for the US envoy, he should realize that his act has been uncovered and he should be made aware that Kenyans do not take the slandering of their leaders lightly. Like the PM so rightly put it in his speech during the Jamhuri celebrations, a true friend does not say one thing while with you and tell of something completely different while away from your earshot. The President and the PM were at the fore-front in championing for the new constitution thus it is utterly disdainful for the envoy to describe them as anti-reformist. The reform process in Kenya has been faced with a lot of hurdles; it is true that some individuals might have stood on the way of reforms but that is expected in any country with a thriving democracy where everyone wants to have their way and say on issues that affect them, their electorate or the various groups that they represent.
Is it not true that senior government officers are involved in drug trafficking? What of corruption? Have we not turned our public institutions into gateways to get rich quickly? Let the government not take lightly the contents of the leaked cables and decisive measures should be taken to ensure that Kenya is not put on the spot for the wrong reasons again. So let us find out what truth these cables hold and let us deal with it.
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