The Lost War on Corruption

On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon, the 37^th president of the United States of America (USA), reeling from the Watergate Scandal that was fast consuming his re-election in 1972, announced his resignation from White House. Prior to the 1972 Presidential elections, the Republican Party’s re-election team set up to wire-tap and gain illegal access to the Democrat’s National Committee Centre in Watergate Complex in order to peep into their election strategies. However, Bob Woodward and Carl Beinstein aided by ‘Deep Throat’, unearthed this evil secret. This nasty secret, infamously known as Watergate Scandal culminated in the resignation of President Nixon, two years later. The break-in and wire-tapping of the Democrat’s Re-election Centre in Watergate Complex was unearthed as the dirty work of President Nixon’s Republican Party. Consequently, a president stood firm to the morals and conscience of a nation, the institution of presidency, and resigned on realizing that his greed and thirst for power had violated the most powerful seat in USA.

In 2009, former South Korean president, Roh Moo-Hyun leapt to his death from a hill, near his home village of Bongha. He was facing numerous allegations of multi-million dollar corruption scandals whilst in power from 2003-2008. His suicide note in part read, “Countless agonies down the road”. His conscience was fast crumbling under the weight of these corruption allegations. To save himself from the shame of corruption and abuse of office, he leapt down-hill to his death. A year later in Japan, Agriculture minister, Toshikatsu Matsuoka, facing several corruption allegations, committed suicide to save himself from the shame of this devious and stenchy crime. Closer home in Zimbabwe, Sergeant Turai Muza, attached to the Mazowe Police Station committed suicide after he was found with undisclosed and inexplicable amount of money at a roadblock.

In the above cases, from the resignation of President to the suicides mentioned, it is proof that abuse of office, greed for power and corruption are abominable vices whose personal repercussions are equally bad. In countries where morality and conscience guide the everyday lives of public servants, regardless of their ranks, these vices are shameful and can push one’s conscience to committing suicide, at worst and at the very least, resign from office and face prosecution.

Fast forward to June 2008, former Kipipiri legislator and Finance Minister, Amos Kimunya was adversely mentioned in the controversial sale of the Laico Regency, then Grand Regency. In a move so predictable of Kenyan politicians, Kimunya decried evil politics and witch-hunt by his purported enemies. In his home-turf of Kipipiri, he famously said that he would rather die than resign! Needless to say, his impeachment motion led by the fiery Kakamega Senator, then Ikholomani legislator, Bonni Khalwale proved too hot on the floor of the August House a week later in the Kenyan capital. Kimunya was forced home!

Currently, from the high offices in the JUBILEE government, corruption is at its zenith and fast breaking the nation’s economy. There is blatant looting and stealing from the public coffers at unprecedented levels.  President Uhuru has talked tough on this vice but acted so little as corruption runs rampant in his government. So many are adversely mentioned in corruption circles yet none has taken personal responsibility. It has taken the President to act tough, the police and judiciary to follow suit.

However, as corruption breaks our economy with every dawn of the sun, as a nation, it speaks more to our morals and conscience. We are so proud to play in this devious game, dishonesty and all evil means of wealth accumulation are the norm. We praise those who loot our economy and sing their praises. They loot and eat alone yet when they are called to account, they rally Kenyans to their cause, pay them some coins and lie to us that they are being witch-hunted. We all get lost in this stinking shame. The conscience and morals of most of our public servants are long dead and buried; that is why they choose to cling in office and kaa ngumu even when caught with their hands in the cooking jar. They retreat to their tribal cocoons and let ethnic chieftains viciously defend them to death. 

As this shameful defence of corruption suspects dominates the Kenyan air, the vice is milking dry our economy, denying deserving Kenyans of great opportunities and destroying Kenya. From Goldernberg, Kazi kwa Vijana saga, the Free Primary Funds, the National Youth Service scam and many other corruption cases, the culprits occupy big positions in our country and kill our economy each year. We elect them every five years, very well knowing what they do to our economy.

From top government and county offices, traffic cops to the very low circles of security guards in our parking yards, corruption reigns supreme. As a society, corruption is an accepted norm.

We have lost the war on corruption, not because President Uhuru is not tough enough, but because, unlike the West, we have thrown our morals and conscience to the wind, and in their place let dishonesty, greed and all abominable means of wealth acquisition and abuse of public office, to blossom.