We should now unpack graft to beat the vice

The ongoing probe and arrests in regard to corruption have raised admiration and consternation in equal measures.

The amounts of money mentioned in the dealings have exposed the wanton looting. But given that these are not the first, nor 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 30, 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 Kenya’s future and the Independence dreams which were shattered by the opportunism?

I am proposing a discourse poised to propel an ideological movement well beyond 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. What is corruption? What feeds it? Who benefits from it? Who are the corrupt? Whose corruption is worse? How does it kill our future?

These questions are pertinent for the perceptive to realise that even the petty corruption we engage in on roadside to allow ourselves freedom from the police in a swoop is far from benign.

When City County askaris “arrest” hawkers and demand “fines” from them, as widely reported, 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. 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 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? 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 the corrupt), 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?

Then one day, the police will “unearth” a syndicate operating in side mirrors vandalised from parked vehicles, really? The big corruption. See the link?

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.

-The writer is a Research Fellow at Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies, University of Nairobi