Why we all must fight graft monster

There is a Kenyan musician who came up with a number of very original hits some years ago. His name is Eric Wainaina.

One of those tunes, which I think was some kind of a prophesy given the times we are living in, went something like this: “Nchi ya kitu kidogo, ni inch ya watu wadogo…….” Translated into English this would mean: “A land of bribes is a land of 'small' people.”

This was in respect to the many public servants such as policemen and government officials who would not give services until they were given ‘something small’, which could mean money or other gifts.

It must all have started somewhere but sooner or later it became an accepted culture.

Eric Wainaina’s comment was spot on because around the time he was making it, the official establishment would never think of fighting this culture and in some instances actually aided and abetted it.

MEGA SCANDALS

The interesting thing, however, is that these days this culture has evolved from ‘kitu kidogo’ to big things. From what we hear, it has propelled itself to the point where people now talk about billions. Billions can certainly not be termed as something small.

Of course, Wainaina was using the popular talk of the time, when all we talked about was police officers and clerks in government offices who were quite happy to receive a few hundred shillings or even less to give the services they were employed to give.

Figuratively, this obviously meant that whole culture of corruption. Today, the government — or at least the President — has said loudly and clearly that this culture must be fought.

It is within the knowledge of those who understand the concept culture well that establishing one and the mindset that goes with it does not take as much effort as it would take to undo that culture.

ACT NOW

The most fundamental issue here is that whether we are talking about a few hundred shillings or a number of billions, the people who practise this culture are a dehumanised lot.

It, in fact, does not matter whether they are educated, rich, in political power and so on. They are people of small minds.

They are small people because this whole behaviour pattern goes with disrespect for self, disrespect for others and for that which belongs to all. That is why I insist that Wainaina’s was a prophecy.

We have now come to the realisation that we shall remain people of small minds if we do not do something about this culture. It will be a tough job but if all in the Executive, the Legislature and Judiciary take it seriously, we just might get somewhere.

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