Lead image for Restore discipline in the Cabinet for prosperity.
Governments are elected to govern, not wage silent wars against themselves. Yet when confidential State information repeatedly finds its way into public domain before official announcements, the problem becomes a crisis of trust, discipline and leadership at the highest levels of power.
And when Cabinet Secretaries trade public jabs at each other, it exposes lack of unity of purpose and unwarranted tensions. The competing interests leave Kenyans at a loss on the direction the government is taking.
Still, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua claims has accurately predicted government decisions before they are publicly announced, exposing deep cracks within the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Whether the information is leaked deliberately or through institutional weaknesses, the message to Kenyans is, the government cannot keep its own house in order. That does not inspire confidence in Kenya Kwanza's ability to govern the nation.
State intelligence is among the most sensitive assets any country possesses. Intelligence agencies exist to gather, analyse and protect information to safeguard national security, economic interests and public order. When such information becomes a political weapon, the nation — not individual politicians — becomes the biggest casualty.
Governments rarely collapse because of external enemies alone but more often, they weaken from internal rivalries, mistrust and power struggles. Administrations consumed by succession politics gradually lose focus on the pressing needs of citizens.