Leaders owe Kenyans more imagination than just theft

This week Kenyans were treated to yet another corruption scandal. This time it was Kilifi County, where more than Sh1.8b may have been stolen. Like with the myriad corruption scandals, Kilifi’s revealed a web of collusion involving senior officials in key institutions – from the county government to the Central Bank to commercial banks. In other words, corruption in Kenya is not and has never been the preserve of a few rotten tomatoes. It is systemic. It is aided and abetted by key institutions of state.

Kenyans are outraged. As they should. Stealing about 15 per cent of the budget from a poor county like Kilifi is not just criminal. It leads to deaths. It means fewer Kenyans have a shot at a better life because our elites have refused to work hard for their wealth, instead preferring to steal to live. My guess is the money did not go into developing Kilifi. It probably went into the purchase of some gaudy property in Nairobi or Mombasa. And into crass consumption – of the kind we are used to among Kenya’s nouveau riche. Instead of generating development either in Kilifi or Nairobi or Mombasa, the money only created a whole lot of poor rich people. People who are rich now but who would revert to living hand-to-mouth the second the corruption taps are closed.