We shouldn’t be surprised by Covid-19 funds theft

When the Nation Media Group sent a teaser that they would begin this week by giving us the ‘tea’ on the Covid-19 tenders scams at Afya House, many asked where they would get the sugar since the government already put five local sugar mills up for auction in the international market.

The wait-and-see ended on a high when the Daily Nation took the face masks off those individuals, leaving Kenyans with no other option but to petition God to reconsider sending his Son on judgement day, and do the job Himself.

Since Covid-19 sneaked into the country like a career Kenyan wedding gatecrasher, the government has been leaking signs of defeat in preventing it from stopping the reggae party after party.

We now know we are losing the Covid-19 war because these people have turned this anti-Corona campaign into a village butchery contest where they would rather corrupt their morals than go home with the offal.

Instead of putting their heads together to fight the virus and save us unnecessary deaths, they have voted to engage in the scrambling and partitioning of Covid funds, as if that is the only lesson they learned in History.

Famous prophesy

Kenyans are praying for history to honour that famous prophesy by coming back to repeat itself, since these money-hungry vultures have refused to learn from their predecessors, despite numerous case studies showing ill-gotten wealth fizzles out faster than effervescent tablets in cold water.

We have watched those who primitively accumulated wealth cry in their graves as those they left behind tear into each other for a disproportionate share of undeserved inheritance. If the cases do not end up dragging in court for a lifetime, they always end up in premium tears.

There is no justification for pinching money meant for poor people in desperate need of critical healthcare. Immorality may come in many forms, but even those who covet their neighbours’ houses in Facebook groups agree that conspiracy to benefit from a health crisis of pandemic proportions should be vilest of them all.

It is unfortunate that we have a government that prides itself as God-chosen, yet they have created a conducive environment for heartless tenderprenuers to engage in crimes that annoy even the devil. It should not have come to this.

Kenyans were largely obedient when the government asked them to stay at home, wear a mask and resist the temptation to travel to the village, even when those in charge of leading by example were wearing masks as chin-warmers, crisscrossing the country as if they’re on an album tour, and visiting their political neighbours to borrow things unrelated to kitchen salt.

Public goodwill

This latest revelation about our Covid money has succeeded in deflating the little public goodwill that was left after the break-up we had with government over tea and snacks.

It also conclusively settles the patriotism question. The next time a government official accuses Kenyans of being unpatriotic, may it please our Lords to remind the honourable court that the poor Kenyans skipping meals to afford a face mask are 1,000 times more patriotic than the concave-bellied opportunists having illicit relationship with public money.

Perhaps our saving grace is that the revelation came with a significant reduction in the copious amounts of empty promises we have been swallowing since 2013.

If the stadium in Kamariny was not built in six months as earlier promised, then fighting corruption should not feel bad if it was shortchanged too.

Mr Oguda comments on topical issues. [email protected]