If there’s one chapter in our constitution that should be torn off, then it is chapter six.
Integrity is one abused term in our country.
Kenya’s leadership is filled with characters with questionable characters.
Right in the middle of a murder trial, Migori Governor Okoth Obado still holds office to the chagrin of many.
That wouldn’t have happened elsewhere.
In the United States of America, where we’ve largely borrowed our constitution from, integrity is regarded so highly, perhaps after God.
Recently, the vetting process of a Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh unearthed bar brawl that happened in the year 1985.
In 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned after armed thugs broke into the Democratic National Convention center, in a scandal that is referred to as the Watergate Scandal.
With the consent of the president, the thugs had the intention of interfering with elections that were due.
Fast forward in 1997, President Clinton found himself facing impeachment following sexual misconduct charges.
The former president was involved in a sexual relationship with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.
He was later acquitted.
These three scenarios show how the country values integrity more than anything else.
The leaders may have done things that could be considered trivial in our country, things that pale in comparison to murder - even just being suspected.
In this light, Migori governor Okoth Obado should have resigned a long time ago.
But it does not work that way in this country.
Obado may be innocent until proven guilty but the brutal murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno should be enough to taint his image forever since he has been adversely linked with it.
A leader's integrity should be beyond reproach.
Based on the American system, where a slight mistake one did in his lifetime renders him unfit for public office, Obado should be very far away from the office of the governor.
Perhaps in a country with a history of electing leaders with questionable characters should point at a more greater problem.
The systems are weak, where individuals are easily cleared without the thorough scrutiny of their backgrounds.
#hivisasaoriginal