Kenyan leaders' lack of work ethic holding us back

Has the character of the Kenyan governing elite changed? And what does this mean for the future of our country? These are important questions to ponder over the next few months as political temperatures in the country continue to rise over the referendum question. Throughout this process Kenyans will be wise to know that we can’t legislate good behaviour, and political goodwill. Ultimately, even with the best-designed institutions and systems, people matter. And the type of people we choose to lead us are key determinants of the output from out institutions. This is especially important at the founding moment of institutions because of the idea of path dependence.

One of the reasons Kenya, unlike many other African countries, avoided civil war was because at independence we had an elite class with an encompassing interest. What do I mean by this? I mean that the small group of men and (a few) women were individuals who had an interest in keeping the country peaceful and stable. These individuals; many with investments in agriculture and commerce had internalised the need for a minimally functional and stable society. They were by no means angels. Far from it. They stole land. They killed political opponents. And refused to effectively deal with the plight of thousands of landless Kenyans whose land was stolen by colonial settlers.

But the difference between that elite and the current governing elite is that while the former invested the stolen money in economically productive enterprises, the latter are mere paper pushing brokers. The former had an enviable work ethic. The latter are lazy to the core, always ready to make easy money by siphoning billions from public coffers but with nothing to show for it. Real estate investments don’t count. Neither do financial deals at the stock exchange. These activities do not create permanent jobs for regular wananchi.

The previous crop of governing elite who stole public money and invested in coffee, tea and flower farms; manufacturing enterprises; and other job creating ventures are infinitely better than the lot we have at the moment. Why should we keep sitting on our hands waiting for foreign investors to come rescue our people from dehumanising poverty while billions disappear from the Treasury?

Any student of political economy will tell you how tightly linked economic policies and politics are. This is why industries that have political connections tend to do well. Tea and coffee were protected not merely because of their foreign exchange earning power. A good portion of the Kenyan governing elite had invested in these sectors. In the same vein, serious manufacturing for mass job creation will only take off in Kenya when our own elites join the fray. They best know the system. And they are the best placed to put in policies to ensure that their own businesses succeed. Their selfish drive to create wealth for themselves will, in turn, create jobs for thousands of Kenyans.

This is the definition of an encompassing interest. We need not angels in government for things to get better. We just need men and women with a little ambition and a matching work ethic.

Kenya’s founding fathers were land grabbers who hated dishing out free things to poor people. But they were also keen on the idea of value creation. President Jomo Kenyatta famously asked Bildad Kaggia at a public rally what he had done for himself with the access he had to wealth. Kenyatta’s admonition has, over the years, acquired a negative meaning; as a carte blanche permission for corruption in government.

But there was also a second meaning. Kenyatta was critiquing Kaggia’s inability to create value out of his privileged position. In other words, Kenyatta saw Kaggia to have failed in his duty as a custodian of his community with an encompassing interest and a duty to create wealth and jobs for his community. The same Kenyatta would be appalled by the lazy broker mentality that is so pervasive among the current governing elite in the country.

Corruption is a problem in Kenya and among many other countries. But it is not the biggest problem keeping us shackled to the ground in grinding poverty. A bigger problem is the complete lack of work ethic among our elite both in the public and private sectors. Unlike previous times, the money that is currently stolen from the public is not being invested in productive assets. And the people in government managing what is left are sorely lacking in skill and drive to do their job. All the serious public servants seem to have gone home with the Kibaki administration.