Corruption must be pursued from four major fronts

Integrity Centre, the headquarters of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, in Nairobi. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • First, honest, persistent, and visible commitment by the leadership to fight corruption. When the top political leaders do not provide the right example, it cannot be expected that public servants will behave differently.

  • Second, increase incentives for honest behaviour among public servants while at the same time increasing the risks associated with corruption.

  • Third, adhere to meritocracy and fairness in all appointments. Importantly, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission must have personnel of unquestionable integrity.

The cascade of Kenyans coming out against institutionalised corruption should bring tears of relief to the patriotic eye.

We had the medicine for our corruption-induced suffering all along but we refused to take it. Our ailment came from within ourselves but, like zombies, we ignored it. Until this moment.

Now, we must realise that we shall never find the light unless, like a candle, we are willing to be our own fuel. Let that light unite us so that we can together unshackle ourselves from these debilitating manacles of degeneracy. Nonetheless, there is no quick fix. We must create the necessary conditions. For it is not enough to talk about, and pray for, zero-corruption. We must believe in it first, then individually and collectively take appropriate action — we must walk the talk.

Towards this end, we must learn from our history, without identifying it as a limit of our reality. For we find ourselves by living in the present, never by dwelling in the past. Only then shall we forge our envisaged future. As we do so, however, we need to focus on the journey, not the destination, for joy is found in doing an activity, not finishing it.

Some would argue that corruption is necessary for growth as it “greases” the wheels of development. In reality, corruption is the sand in the wheels and impedes growth as it contributes to many pernicious effects on efficiency.

IMPERIAL CAGE

To start with, corruption binds us in an imperial cage and blinds us to the potential to realise a thriving society for all Kenyans. A society where we share and understand one another, not one where division and pain are a source of power.

Corruption lowers the quality of public infrastructure and services as it depletes the tax base and distorts government expenditure. Further, it generates economic rent-seeking.

Corruption corrodes political processes and undermines our evolving democracy. It impedes genuine change and opens the door to frustration and political tension. It ruins our nation.

Ultimately, it exacerbates divisions and suffering, thereby solidifying the invisible ethnic and economic caste system. This transforms public processes into a cacophony of folly. We waste our resources in maintaining and strengthening the cycle of corruption.

Once a corrupt system is in place and many people operate in it, individuals have no incentive to try to change it or to refrain from taking part in it. Therefore, it persists, with all its adverse consequences.

Any realistic strategy to fight graft must start with an explicit appreciation that there is demand for and supply of corruption. To a large extent, it is the State that, through its policies and actions, creates the environment and the incentives that influence corruption.

Just as there is no one-size-fits-all policy for economic development, there is none for fighting corruption. The response to corruption needs to be as complex and variegated as corruption itself.

MAJOR FRONTS

Thus, due to its complexity, corruption must be pursued from three major fronts. First, honest, persistent, and visible commitment by the leadership to fight corruption. When the top political leaders do not provide the right example, it cannot be expected that public servants will behave differently.

Second, increase incentives for honest behaviour among public servants while at the same time increasing the risks associated with corruption.

Third, adhere to meritocracy and fairness in all appointments. Importantly, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission must have personnel of unquestionable integrity.

Our situation can be illustrated by the story of a big fire that broke out in the forest. Frightened, the animals fled. Bemoaning the destruction of their homes, the animals believed there was nothing they could do about the fire.

Except Kolibri, the little hummingbird. Kolibri flew to a nearby stream, scooped up a few drops of water in her microscopic beak, flew back and dropped the water on the fire. The other animals watched in disbelief as she went back and forth. Some commented: “What a futile effort? You’re too tiny. They’re only droplets. You can’t put out this fire.” Their forlorn leader declared: “I have done my part!” His deputy followed suit and asked Kolibri: “What do you think you’re doing?” Unhesitatingly, she answered: “I am doing my bit.”

Like Kolibri, let each one of us do their little bit to put a dent in this egregious fire of corruption that has engulfed our nation. It is those little bits put together that will free Kenya from corruption.

Prof Wanjohi Kibicho author, 'Sex Tourism in Africa: Kenya's Booming Industry' and 'Traditional Martial Arts: A Portrait of a Living Art'.