Strathmore University in conjunction with Warwick University hosted a roundtable on the principles of leadership and integrity at the Microsoft Policy Innovation Centre (PIC), Strathmore Law School on the 10th of July 2019. Topics of discussion included the history and context of chapter 6 of the Kenyan constitution, chapter 14 of Uganda’s Constitution and the introduction of the 5th Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution.

Focus on UK, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria

The sessions were divided into the United Kingdom, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria respectively. The opening remarks were made by Dr. J Osogo Ambani Senior Lecturer, Strathmore Law School, and Prof Mark Philip, Professor of History and Politics at the University of Warwick.

The United Kingdom session was chaired by Professor Mark Phillip who discussed the history, context and general overview of British standards and principles of public life. The roundtable analyzed a matter concerning Jeremy Corbyn, (a British politician) serving as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2015 claiming that he was “too frail” to lead the labour party or become Prime Minister.

Kenya Session

The Kenya session was chaired by Dr. J Osogo Ambani which looked into chapter 6 of the Kenya constitution which is Leadership and Integrity. The keynote speakers for the session included Elisha Ongoya, Lucianna Thuo from Kabarak Law School and Dr. Arbogast Akidiva, Academic Director, School of Humanities and Social Science, Strathmore University.

The roundtable discussed at length the responsibilities of leaders, financial probity of state officers, restriction on activities of state officers and the role of citizens in leadership.

The case study for the Kenya session was the latest developments concerning claims by Deputy President William Ruto that there were people out to assassinate him.

Challenges associated with Chapter 6

Dr. Arbogast Akidiva discussed the prospects and cited the challenges that have arisen associated with Chapter 6. The roundtable concluded that this chapter is part of the tools Kenya is using to re-engineer its governance systems. The provisions have been laid out and a lot is required to fully implement them. They also concluded that people and institutions like the Inspector General of Police, the EACC, the IEBC, and courts of law must be vigilant for progress to be envisioned.

The afternoon session was chaired by Melissa Mungai, adjunct editor of the Strathmore University Press, while Lawyer Andrew Karamagi and Dr. Adrian Jjuuku spoke on Chapter 14 of Uganda’s Constitution. They discussed the history, context, general overview and status implementation of the chapter. The roundtable referred to the code of conduct and ethics for the Uganda Public Service.

The final session was led by Phillip Omollo, LLB Candidate at the University of Nairobi, who introduced the 5th Schedule of the Constitution which indicates the code of conduct that should be met by public officers.

Final remarks and conclusions were made by Dr. J Osogo Ambani and Professor Mark Phillip. Later on, the guests had cocktails at the Watamu Restaurant.

 

This article was written by Tuzo Jonathan.

 

If you have a story, kindly email: communications@strathmore.edu