With corrupt parastatals and inept officials, we’re doomed

The word corruption has many analogs, none of them good. Imagine these synonyms for corruption – venal, nefarious, fraudulent, illegal, unscrupulous, criminal, dishonorable, and untrustworthy. I could go on. My point is that I have never heard the term corrupt or corruption used to describe anything good. It’s one of the worst words to use against a person in the English language. In China, they sentence you to death by the gun for corruption. In the US, they jail you and throw away the key. But Kenya – my Kenya – they lionise you for being corrupt and a thief.

In Kenya, you can count on the one hand senior public figures who aren’t corrupt. Virtually the entire political class is corrupt. Corruption is a way of life. It’s now in our bone marrow. I once saw a YouTube clip of middle schoolers in which the cheeky teacher asks the class to name Kenya’s gift to the world. An equally cheeky student – but dead serious – said corruption was Kenya’s gift to the world. He, together with his classmates, then burst out laughing – uproariously. The point was that corruption in Kenya is normal and we can all laugh about it. But corruption isn’t a laughing matter. It destroys and kills millions every year. I call it a crime against humanity.