The Director of Public Prosecutions, Noordin Haji, has sustained his onslaught on former Nairobi governor, Mike Sonko, who is eyeing the Mombasa top job.
Speaking in Mombasa on Friday, May 20, during the launch of the Sisters for Justice in Mwandoni, Kisauni, Haji said Sonko had failed in Nairobi and should not be allowed to export his failures to another county.
Haji - who has previously called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) not to clear leaders who have either been impeached previously or facing cases of corruption - said the election of Sonko as the Mombasa governor would only translate to glorifying mediocrity.
The DPP maintained that the law must be followed in clearing political contesters and that it should not be applied selectively.
“Do not be cheated by people who have failed in other places and now want to become your leaders. I am not in any camp, I am just telling you as the DPP. And the law must be followed and respected,” stated Haji.
“If someone has been fired from a job for stealing and failing to do their job, how can they come here and you still elect them? You will later be wronged and the law will not be followed. Don’t come crying then.”
The DPP told the Mombasa residents to ensure they elect good leaders who will deliver on their promises and who have been tested and tried.
“If you do not have good leadership, you cannot get good service delivery,” advised Haji, calling on the residents to ensure all the leaders voted in are of high moral standing and pass the integrity test.
He also castigated politicians for giving hand-outs during campaigns, saying such money was of no help to the voters and it is most likely stolen from the taxpayer.
“The money they bring you will only serve you for a day, and you will end up suffering for the next five years.”
“Bad leaders will steal from you Ksh100 and then come back and give you Ksh2. How much will they remain with? They will eat that remaining Ksh98 as you suffer,” he added.
Haji has remained adamant that leaders of questionable integrity should not be allowed to seek or hold any elective or appointive position unless they are cleared by the court of law.
Sonko joined the Mombasa gubernatorial race last month and his entrance has seemingly upset many competitors.
The latest poll by Nation Media Group placed him second with a 33 per cent approval rating against Mvita Member of Parliament, Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir’s 40 per cent.
Sonko is vying on a Wiper party ticket while Abdulswamad is running on a Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket. The two leaders are hoping to succeed governor Hassan Ali Joho who is serving his second and final term
