The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has been under the scrutiny of the public eye recently. This is a result of the unending corruption in the Kenyan government.
Aside from the typical 'Who are the corrupt officials in Government? Kenyans should trace the root of corruption in order to rid themselves of this menace. After all, if one cuts off the roots then the tree will fall. Find the source to kill the supply.
So, working backwards: What is the EACC? A body formed to find and investigate corrupt individuals. Who are these corrupt individuals? These are public officials who selfishly use their power for their own benefit. How did these officials rise to power? Public vote.
Why would the public insist on voting in individuals who have proved time and again to be the bane of national development? That is the question that people should ask themselves.
Surely, has the media not informed Kenyans on the importance of giving the right people the power? Has the media not covered corruption allegation after corruption allegation in the news? Yet we still see the same people in power.
Something clearly does not add up here. As humans, we naturally agree to a deal that would benefit us in return. It follows then, that Kenyans would vote for someone who would bring about national development.
Kenyans must be voting in some sort of irrational way. Herein lies the reason for this irrational voting: tribalism.
It doesn't take much for one to notice that our current leaders garnered most of their votes from citizens of their tribe. This is because of the natural, but parochial, belief that the candidates from their region will have their best interests at heart. After all, blood is thicker than water, yes?
However, once these candidates find themselves in power, what happens? National development stagnates and they shy away from the public to avoid the citizens they once promised rapid development. They illegally use national resources for their own benefit. They are some perverse Robin Hood of sorts, stealing from the poor to give to the rich. They are the epitome of the highest injustice a leader could mete out on his people. Yet it is these same people who are in power.
It's hard for one to conjure up a more ironic situation than the one Kenyans find themselves in. The fool thinks he is wise, and the wise man knows himself to be a fool. All this time, Kenyans thought they were wise for voting in leaders from the same tribe, but these leaders have proved this to be faulty reasoning.
It is high time Kenyans wised up and realised they have been duped. It is high time Kenyans voted for candidates who inherently espouse values of integrity and honesty. Leaders who are worth their salt. Leaders who have the interests of the nation at heart.
With the current breed of leaders, we daresay Vision 2030 should be renamed Vision 2130. 'Konza' may never become a reality.
To attain the national development that all Kenyans cry for, we must end corruption. To end corruption, we must end tribalism. That is the long and short of it.
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