Guess Who's Back + A Curious Clause in the proposed Anti Corruption Bill

Good afternoon, fellow Siasa Duni enthusiasts.


I have recently sojourned to visit the land of my ancestors, and ended up taking a complete road trip around East Africa. In my travels, I noticed a few things I had never paid attention to before, and some completely new ones left me a bit gobsmacked. For example, I found that you can walk right through the border at Busia into Kenya without as much as anyone asking for your papers, and continue with your life. The reverse is not true for entry into Uganda and Rwanda. These guys take security rather seriously. Is it a surprise then that acts of terrorism are more rampant in Kenya than they are in other neighbouring countries?


I also found that the road transport situation in Nairobi is greatly and vastly improved. You should've seen the look on my face when I landed smack in the middle of Waiyaki Way by cover of night. Kangemi was virtually unrecognisable! Then there were all those trees lining up the road, most noticeably on Moi Avenue. Museum Roundabout was a pleasant surprise, although it is now a one-way, and can no longer be accessed from the 'Bubbles' side. The same applies to several other roads, and it seems the Kampala model of unilaterally turning perfectly functioning two-way roads into one-ways has been adopted. In all, Nairobi roads offer a stunningly pleasant drive, and Mombasa Road is way up there for your 130KPH driving experiment.


So, there we have it: the score is Kenya 1-1Uganda, by way of road network and border security, respectively. Then there was the small matter of spending an entire night in the cold of Elburgon on account of a broken fuel injector. Hint: carry something very warm next you're in Elburgon. And if it's worth anything, forget Akamba Public Road Services Ltd. (Connecting East Africa) in the past where it belongs. It's not worth your tears.


Ok, enough about myself. I'm currently reading the final draft of the Independent Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Bill, 2011, and I must say I'm more than pleasantly surprised. Also in the grapevine is that the CIC has handed said Bill to the Cabinet. The most immediately striking aspect of this Bill is that it will hand to P.L.O Lumumba unprecedented power, and will certainly be a shot in KACC's arm. But one curious clause sticks out like a sore thumb: "The Commission may, in undertaking investigations, intercept or tap communication." 


This got me thinking, and my question for you is: Do you agree that the government should tap or intercept communication in an effort to combat corruption? Please let us know.


If you haven't read the Independent Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Bill, 2011, please send an empty e-mail titled IEACC Bill PDF to siasaduni@gmail.com and I'll dispatch a copy to you as quickly as I can.