By JOHN KARIUKI
If the many radio phone-in programmes are anything to go by, Kenyans love to talk about corruption in high places and to pile pressure on the affected people to resign.
But dishonesty is not the preserve of public officers, and has been know to raise its ugly head in the workplace. Many employees are routinely disciplined for it.
According to human resources practitioners, any breach of trust will cast a long shadow across peopleâs career paths for along time. The offenders simply hand their bosses the perfect reason not to vouch for their promotion or to allocate them more sensitive roles.
Jeff Ndereba, a Nairobi-based civil servant, says dishonesty in the workplace takes many forms.
"These include stealing of employersâ money and the unauthorised use of other resources for personal gain," says Ndereba.
Dishonesty
He includes the rampant cases of false claims of illness, saying it is among the biggest form of dishonesty in a typical workplace. Other fraudulent tactics are colluding with unscrupulous clients and suppliers to falsify payments, and the misrepresentation or falsification of employee qualifications, adds Ndereba.
Though it is often overlooked, Ndereba says the practice where employeesâ use their position to engage in private business is the worst offence that anybody can commit.
Due process
"It is much more serious than receiving bribes," says Ndereba.
Walter Murichu, a trade unionist, says that a breach of honesty at the workplace does not necessarily mean that the damage is irreparable.
