Unpacking the invisible knapsack of privilege in corruption in Kenya

The on-going investigations and arrests in Kenya in regard to corruption has raised admiration and consternation in equal measures around the country. The amounts of money mentioned in the dealings have broken the County’s “best record” of looting. However, given these are by no means the first, nor will they be the last cases of corruption in high places, is it not time to put aside the normal political rhetoric and engage in a no-nonsense discourse on what every Kenyan over the age of thirty knows: The existence of ‘unearned’ opportunities or wealth which is an indictment on our value system that it warrants a disbelief in an idea foundational to the Kenya’s future and the Independence dreams which were shattered by the opportunism? I am proposing a discourse that is poised to propel an ideological movement well beyond the Parliament, the courts, police cells, the ivory tower and into political discourse, pop culture commentary, and workplace seminars. Discussing corruption should now be part of our national discourse on everything. What is corruption? What feeds corruption? Who benefits from corruption? Who are the corrupt? Whose corruption is worse?

These questions are pertinent for the perceptive to realise that even the petty corruption we engage in on road side to allow ourselves freedom from the police in a swoop is far from benign. When City County police (are they police) “arrest” hawkers and demand “fines” from them, as widely reported by out avid clandestine press, that kind of corruption, whether at personal or group level, amounts to the same as that reported at NYS or the NCPD. What is my point? This small, “informal arrangements” for freedom still feeds into the amazing labyrinth of corruption that eventually “erupts” at the national level. Why do we get surprised when exams are leaked and some cheats are caught? (Of course the story fades into oblivion until a new scandal replaces it). It is because we are yet to elevate the discourse on corruption from the open book of reference to faceless “cartels” to the friends who buy us a cup of tea at the Nairobi down-town cafés in Muindi Mbingu Street. For many of us, the capture of big “cartel mobsters” will rid the country of the “menace” (It stopped menacing a long time ago). This will not happen. Why so?

Consider this: The pressure to ‘belong” and “thrive” in a country that threw away meritocracy into the Indian Ocean with the floods that occurred during our first Independence decade is great. If indeed this country is free, how come for some people, life is not what one makes it; but many opportunities open for them through no virtues of their own? This is what we may refer to as “unearned” positions. We know it, but we do not speak. We celebrate their “achievements”. Acknowledging these, among many other instances will make us less charitable to those in unearned positions of influence. How come we live in gated communities complete with private security when we pay taxes (and we are proud of it)? How come we pay exorbitant medical bills when we still pay taxes? Why do we pay monthly water bills, yet we still pay water bowsers? The idea of being paid double has gained currency in public service and we have embraced it. And this is from the top honchos to the guards in the streets. Sometimes we pay three times, but we never ever stop to think about it. For instance, you park your car (for those corrupt enough to own one and afford the parking fees), then pay the requisite parking fees, yet you have to pay another rough guy to take care of your car. If you don’t, the ruffian will cannibalise your car and take the choice parts to some garage to feed into an illegal, yet, incessant appetite for such parts. Remember you have paid service charge and the parking fee. Why pay more? The small corruption. Then one day, the police will “unearth” a syndicate operating in side mirrors vandalized from parked vehicles, really? The big corruption. See the link?

That is why the current discourse on corruption should awaken a razor-sharp mindset among Kenyan to adopt a fundamental shift in our individual frame of mind, and ultimately, society. We should view corruption as more than problematic. It is more than a problem not because certain doors open widely to certain people through no virtues of their own but because of the privilege it bestows on its system of benefactors and beneficiaries. This privilege is the reason hundreds of children die before the age five; the reason why women die while giving birth in make shift sheds we wrongly call hospital wards: the reason there are no roads in many parts of the country, rendering them inaccessible, epidemiological breeding grounds and criminal playgrounds; it is the reason you have to make an appointment to meet the CEO of a public institution, paid by your own taxes and the youth are unemployed; it is the reason foodstuffs are not only expensive but also dangerous to consume; it is the reason why we buy samosas made from feline carcasses; it is the reason we are poor, hungry and diseased. The privilege of not being caught to answer to your crimes. The privilege of being shielded. In our own country, is it possible that one can rise or fall based purely on hard work, talent, intelligence or other individual merits? For me, corruption is a system that breeds oppression and exploitation. The two operate in tandem. They are part of the same system that creates inequality, impoverishment, insecurity and all the other host of social ills that result. I believe that you cannot attack poverty without attacking corruption, the two are joined together from top to bottom. The earlier we appreciate that the better we will be prepared to slay the dragon!