How denying ourselves a taste of the good life has fuelled corruption

Kisumu residents buy second hand clothes commonly known as mitumba at Kibuye market

A visit to a tea factory in Central Kenya once provoked me. I was told the best tea is exported, and the growers get the leftovers, which they buy from the factory. The best tea is reserved for others (read, those who can afford it) in far-off countries.

It is not just tea. Good cars are for the others, not us. We get the cars after their owners are tired of them.

Five-star hotels are not for us. We are at home in smoky joints, and are quick to add that they are affordable — though in most cases we spend more, buying rounds of beer to strangers to prove we are men, than we would in five-star hotels.

Status symbols

The best supermarkets and malls are not for us, they are for others. We just read the signboards, and even fear window shopping. This is, however, changing as the younger generation becomes obsessed with brands, which are the new status symbols.

The best schools are not for us, we prefer being in overcrowded classes and paying for tuition, and then complain that our children can’t get jobs. We have no problem with our children learning in the same locality, from kindergarten to university; it is cheaper after all.

The best clothes are not for us, we prefer mitumba, even for underwear. We are made to believe they are of higher quality.

The best residences are not for us, they are too leafy and too quiet. We prefer overcrowded estates where you can tell what your neighbour ate or did last night.

The best holiday resorts, like the Seychelles or Garden Route in South Africa, are not for us. Even national parks, teeming with wildlife and nature, are not for us. We prefer public beaches at the end of the year, or intimidating villagers around Christmas with our flamboyance.

The best jobs are not for us. We want foreigners to do some jobs for us, not sweeping the streets, but high-level jobs, including in the Judiciary or conducting elections.

Even the best names are not for us, we prefer to import names. Kamau is not as good as Ken, Carol is superior to Ciku, and Wilkister is superior to Naliaka. One name that really tickles me is Rufus, which is an English nickname for someone with red hair! Yet, we have several characters by that name with very black hair, including my old classmate Rufus Akaliche? Where are you?

There is no need to make the list longer. The belief that good things are for others is so deeply ingrained in us that it has held our economy hostage and contributed to the current wave of corruption.

It starts early in life. Once we give our children foreign names, they start realising that our culture, including names and language, is inferior. Adverts and movies reinforce this view. Why are mannequins and dolls often Caucasian-looking?

As we grow up, we see a lot of high-end products and services in advertisements, but never use them. By the time we mature into adults, we come to believe that good things are not for us. This diminishes our expectations and, sadly, a lot of people come to accept this.

Break the cycle

We are then made to believe that we cannot have money unless we are corrupt or are devil worshippers. The few who believe you can make money through honest business make a lot of it without competition.

The belief that good things are not for us has made us more prone to corruption. You have spent all your life denied the good things in life — cars, exotic holidays, candle-lit dinners, expensive whisky, and so on. Once you get a taste of them, you would do anything to keep that lifestyle. It’s worse if you hold public office.

The alternative to maintaining such a lifestyle is to invest or get a high-paying job, but you might not have the skills to get you such a job.

Why do you find more Asians at University of Nairobi’s School of Medicine than in a political science class? Lots of youngsters just want to get into university and do not give enough thought to the aftermath.

You could also become an entrepreneur, but the seed money and orientation might be missing. Inherited wealth is for the few.

Any chance of breaking this cycle?

I am not a pessimist, but it seems to me that the divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’ is widening, with razor-wire fences and the sharp distinction between public and private sectors.

The young generation seems determined to have the good things, but at the expense of investing and not willing to help anyone. Their money is their money.

Maybe next time you get some money, take your children out to dinner in a five-star hotel to disperse the pent-up desire early. This could make a difference in their expectations and life.

This could also hasten the shifting of our economy to a higher indifference curve.

The writer is senior lecturer, University of Nairobi.

[email protected]