The issue about leadership and corruption dates as far back as the early days of pre-civilisation when warlords used their positions to disenfranchise their subjects or enemies conquered during battles.

Over the years, leaders and heads of states across the globe are usually branded as corrupt by various sections of the populace.

Here in Africa, a number of long-serving Presidents have also been brandished as corrupt leaders who refuse to wield their power even after serving multiple times in office.

Despite serving for a record 20 years as head of state in Ghana, former President Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings handed over power after he lost in a peaceful, free and fair election in 2000. His action earned him plaudits from peace observers and leaders across the globe.

As part of his farewell message to his father, Kimathi, the fourth and only son of Ghana’s first president under the 4th Republic expressed his pride in the latter as far as power and corruption are concerned.

Citing the words of English Catholic historian, politician and writer John Dalberg-Action, he intimated that former president Rawlings was “a testament to the rare ability of man to rise above the trappings of power.”

“Academically we have always believed power to corrupt and that those who hold power for too long have difficulty in letting it go. If we are to believe the words of John Dalberg-Acton that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” then you are a testament to the rare ability of man to rise above the trappings of power and to utilise it purely as a tool in the service of our fellow man,” Kimathi Rawlings asserted in his tribute to his father.



“Daddy, you were the last of the revolutionaries but stood alone. In your style of leadership, your unwavering commitment to freedom was unquestionable. Your endless pursuit to seeking justice for those who didn’t have it will forever remain your hallmark,” he added.