Time for Kenyans to say No to corruption

What you need to know:

  • If electricity is going to one neighbourhood because they’re well connected, and not another neighbourhood, that’s going to limit development of the country as a whole.
  • Now, we’re also going to work with you to pursue the second pillar of progress, and that is development that extends economic opportunity and dignity for all of Kenya’s people.
  • So through our Young African Leaders Initiative we are empowering and connecting young people from across the continent who are filled with energy and optimism and idealism, and are going to take Africa to new heights.

This is the third and final instalment of the speech by President Obama in Nairobi on Sunday. The first and second parts were published on Tuesday and Wednesday

Corruption is not unique to Kenya. I mean, I want everybody to understand that there’s no country that’s completely free of corruption.  And I want to assure you I speak about it wherever I go, not just here in Kenya.  So I don’t want everybody to get too sensitive.   

But the fact is, too often, here in Kenya — as is true in other places — corruption is tolerated because that’s how things have always been done. 

People just think that is sort of the normal state of affairs.  And there was a time in the United States where that was true, too.  My hometown of Chicago was infamous for Al Capone and the Mob and organised crime corrupting law enforcement. 

But what happened was that over time people got fed up, and leaders stood up and they said, we’re not going to play that game anymore.  And changed a culture and changed habits.

Here in Kenya, it’s time to change habits, and decisively break that cycle.  Because corruption holds back every aspect of economic and civil life.

It’s an anchor that weighs you down and prevents you from achieving what you could.  If you need to pay a bribe and hire somebody’s brother — who’s not very good and doesn’t come to work — in order to start a business, well, that’s going to create less jobs for everybody. 

If electricity is going to one neighbourhood because they’re well connected, and not another neighbourhood, that’s going to limit development of the country as a whole.  If someone in public office is taking a cut that they don’t deserve, that’s taking away from those who are paying their fair share. 

So this is not just about changing one law — although it’s important to have laws on the books that are actually being enforced. 

It’s important that not only low-level corruption is punished, but folks at the top, if they are taking from the people, that has to be addressed as well.

But it’s not something that is just fixed by laws, or that any one person can fix.  It requires a commitment by the entire nation — leaders and citizens — to change habits and to change culture.

Tough laws need to be on the books.  And the good news is, your government is taking some important steps in the right direction.  People who break the law and violate the public trust need to be prosecuted. 

NGOs have to be allowed to operate to shine a spotlight on what needs to change.  And ordinary people have to stand up and say, enough is enough. It’s time for a better future.  

And as you take these steps, I promise that America will continue to be your partner in supporting investments in strong, democratic institutions.  

Now, we’re also going to work with you to pursue the second pillar of progress, and that is development that extends economic opportunity and dignity for all of Kenya’s people.

America partners with Kenya in areas where you’re making enormous progress, and we focus on what Kenyans can do for themselves and building capacity; on entrepreneurship, where Kenya is becoming an engine for innovation; on access to power, where Kenya is developing clean energy that can reach more people; on the important issue of climate change, where Kenya’s recent goal to reduce its emissions has put it in the position of being a leader on the continent; on food security, where Kenyan crops are producing more to meet the demands of your people and a global market; and on health, where Kenya has struck huge blows against HIV/AIDS and other diseases, while building up the capacity to provide better care in your communities.

America is also partnering with you on an issue that’s fundamental to Kenya’s future:  We are investing in youth. We are investing in the young people of Kenya and the young people of this continent.  Robert F. Kennedy once said, “It is a revolutionary world that we live in,” and “it is the young people who must take the lead.”

So through our Young African Leaders Initiative we are empowering and connecting young people from across the continent who are filled with energy and optimism and idealism, and are going to take Africa to new heights. And these young people, they’re not weighted down by the old ways.  They’re creating a new path.  And these are the elements for success in this 21st century. 

To continue down this path of progress, it will be vital for Kenya to recognize that no country can achieve its full potential unless it draws on the talents of all its people — and that must include the half of Kenyans — maybe a little more than half — who are women and girls. 

Every country and every culture has traditions that are unique and help make that country what it is.  But just because something is a part of your past doesn’t make it right.  It doesn’t mean that it defines your future.

Look at us in the US.  Recently, we’ve been having a debate about the Confederate flag.  Some of you may be familiar with this.  This was a symbol for those states who fought against the Union to preserve slavery. 

Now, as a historical artifact, it’s important.  But some have argued that it’s just a symbol of heritage that should fly in public spaces. The fact is it was a flag that flew over an army that fought to maintain a system of slavery and racial subjugation. 

So we should understand our history, but we should also recognize that it sends a bad message to those who were liberated from slavery and oppression. 
And in part because of an unspeakable tragedy that took place recently, where a young man who was a fan of the Confederate flag and racial superiority shot helpless people in a church, more and more Americans of all races are realizing now that flag should come down. Just because something is a tradition doesn’t make it right.  

Well, so around the world, there is a tradition of repressing women and treating them differently, and not giving them the same opportunities, and husbands beating their wives, and children not being sent to school.  Those are traditions.  Treating women and girls as second-class citizens, those are bad traditions.  They need to change. They’re holding you back. 

There’s no excuse for sexual assault or domestic violence.  There’s no reason that young girls should suffer genital mutilation.  There’s no place in civilized society for the early or forced marriage of children.  These traditions may date back centuries; they have no place in the 21st century.   

These are issues of right and wrong — in any culture.  But they’re also issues of success and failure.  Any nation that fails to educate its girls or employ its women and allowing them to maximize their potential is doomed to fall behind in a global economy. 

You know, we’re in a sports centre.  Imagine if you have a team and you don’t let half of the team play. That’s stupid.  That makes no sense. 

And the evidence shows that communities that give their daughters the same opportunities as their sons, they are more peaceful, they are more prosperous, they develop faster, they are more likely to succeed. That’s true in America.  That’s true here in Kenya.  It doesn’t matter. 

And that’s why one of the most successful development policies you can pursue is giving girls an education, and removing the obstacles that stand between them and their dreams. And by the way, if you educate girls — they grow up to be mums  — and they, because they’re educated, are more likely to produce educated children.  

So Kenya will not succeed if it treats women and girls as second-class citizens.  I want to be very clear about that.