FIGHTING CORRUPTION OR POLITICAL WITCH HUNT?
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Picture this. You have been embroiled in a long land dispute with your neighbor in the village. One day, your local chief and the community elders settle the dispute in your favour, in a public baraza.
Utterly infuriated, your neighbor who is suspected to be in the habit of practicing witchcraft in the ungodly hours of the night, goes ahead to publicly threaten you right there.
To everyone’s amazement, he declares that you won’t live another week!
After two days, you drop down dead due to a massive heart attack. You’ve been suffering from hypertension and heart problems but nobody knew about it.
Will the villagers be blamed if they pounce on the neighbor who publicly threatened to send you back to your maker and lyncih him?
Before a postmortem reveals that complex medical conditions like coronary thrombosis were responsible for your death, your neighbor will have burnt into ashes. Don’t you think so?
Wisdom dictates that you don’t publicly threaten your enemies (perceived or real) in public and promise them fire and brimstone, if you aren’t planning to do exactly what you promised them.
If you do, then it’s in your interest to ensure that nothing suspicious happens to them. They shouldn’t develop even a normal fever because you will obviously be held responsible.
President Uhuru publicly threatened to REVISIT the Supreme Court judges after his election was nullified last August.
Can you then blame Kenyans for thinking that the REVISITING has begun in earnest with DCJ Lady Justice Philomena Mwilu being the first victim?
It doesn’t matter whether she is guilty or not. What matters here is the perception it creates and whether such perceptions help the fight against graft. Perception is very important in leadership and politics.
The fight against corruption is obviously a good cause that should be supported by all. However, it must be tapered with a considerable measure of wisdom.
Any good cause is likely to be watered down and trashed, if its approach creates a wrong impression which might lead to the erosion of public goodwill.
In my opinion, the timing of Justice Mwilu’s dramatic arrest and prosecution isn’t wise, especially coming just one year after none other than the president threatened the SCOK.
It can only create a nasty confrontation between the executive and the judiciary arms of government.
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