The recent development in Kenya where the two principals running the coalition government are clashing on the mode of fighting corruption is a good indicator of maturing democracy in the country. For the second time, Kenyans have witnessed the two brands of leadership that were put together involuntarily clash on issues as opposed to personalities. First it was on environmental conservation on whether to push out or spare those who allegedly grabbed public land illegally from Mau Forest. Second, it is on corruption cases touching on the misappropriation of donor funds meant for free primary school education as well as the maize (staple food) saga that involved misuse of funds and inflation of maize prices.

To enable Kenyan politics to be issue driven, the Kenyan media, leaders, and citizens must refrain from "tribalising," politicizing and promoting witch-hunting in the war against corruption. It is time Kenyan and by extension African elites learnt to disagree without resorting to war for purposes of developing our governance systems.

The debate on who should have fired the allegedly corrupt government ministers should also include reasons why impunity ought not to be allowed to thrive in the country. Both President Mwai Kibaki and Hon. Raila Odinga must take cognizance of the signal they are sending to the dragon of corruption when they appear to disagree on the best method of slaying it. This is not the time to water the seeds of negative ethnicity and impunity in the public sector.