KENYA LEADERSHIP TEAM: Pres Obama, PM Annan and AG Ocampo

Mukhisa Kituyi has castigated the Kenyan leadership for seeking international approval on the reform agenda rather than the citizens.

Kituyi who is the Executive Director of the Kenya Institute of Governance (KIG) told a meeting of political parties that it is sad to see Kenyan leaders including those from the religious, business and civil society, “falling over, trying to report each other to foreign prefects of Agenda 4.”

He said: “We shame Africa! We appear juvenile to the rest of this Continent when we collectively are tripping over ourselves anytime we hear Annan is coming to town, the way we are all cascading towards the coming into town of Ocampo; the way we take the word and opinion of the US ambassador in this country.”

“We called the world to help us when we were mad - that’s one and a half years ago. Why should we cripple each other so much that we talk with each other through foreign intermediaries when we are not at war,” Dr Kituyi wondered.

During his just concluded three-day tour of Kenya, former UN Secretary General held talks with government officials and various interest groups, where it was reported that different groups disputed each other’s report on the progress of the reform agenda.

“Foreigners can be forgiven for thinking that Kenya is a country whose President is called ‘Obama’, its Prime Minister is called ‘Kofi Annan’ and its Attorney General is called ‘Ocampo’!”

Dr Kituyi said Kenyans needed to own the reform process, and noted that public confidence in Kenya’s institutions was continually being lost at a time when they were undergoing significant reforms.

He said Kenya stands to be the laughing stock of the continent it continues to downplay is sovereignty in exchange of the approval for the international community.

“It’s a phenomenon that is very sad and a phenomenon that the rest of Africa cannot understand about us. Maybe if we want to redeem the credibility of Kenyan institutions we have to start again by looking at the principal players as Kenyans.”

He added: “Not to forgive those with impunity; not to slow down the pace of reform and implementation of justice but to do it as Kenyans, for Kenyans to build a muscle to do these things.”