Who will Save Kenya from Corruption;

Kenya has temporarily lost its battle to corruption. I say temporarily with a guarded tongue because I still a hopeful Kenyan for an administration that will tackle the vice head-on. As been the case, the forces of impunity seems to have developed a knack for having their way.

Back in 2002 when NARC came to power, there was a clarion call for Zero Tolerance on corruption. I took this to the heart and finally hope was abound that corruption will be a gone case. I was to find sooner this was not the case when one fine day, I was riding my bicycle from Orongo-Ondiek Estate- Kisumu. At Nyamasaria road block, I noticed two policemen taking bribes from an overloaded Matatu.

In my new found spirit I accosted them with confidence “why are you taking bribes from that conductor”. The result was a wave of slaps, blows and kicks. I ran away, abandoned my bicycle, my shoes with the cop threatening to shoot me. Before my activation of flight mode, he confidently told me that “Kijana don’t you know we the police are the government?” That summed it up and to-date, cops are still ranked as the most corrupt.

Today we have all sort of graft claims right from the Office of Presidents office to our Supermarkets. It can’t be lost to anyone that Uchumi Supermarket that is now on its floor bed due to corruption was actually under a receivership charged to steer it off from earlier scandals.

Mumias Sugar has just been given 1 Billion lease of life again, but its common knowledge that it is corruption that took it to its knee in the first place. The bail-out in itself is not bad but why can’t we accost the people who presided over the mismanagement, loot and plunder of resources in these institutions?

Corruption tentacles have grown stronger and now consuming every government office in the name of irregular transactions or contracting. The rejection of Monica Juma exposed the misuse of contingency fund in the OP, the Karen and Weston sagas have had accusing fingers pointed directly at the Office of the Vice President. The Deputy President have had to come out to defend his name one too many times.

Currently NYS is another boiling corruption scenario in the Ministry of Devolution and Planning. The scalps of Ministries like Agriculture, Labour, Transport and Lands have so far been claimed. Ministries such as Mines, Interior, Health, Foreign Affairs ministries. Either they were just mere allegation or we are yet to get to the murky bottom.

While this continues, it is worth noting that the State led a clever process to make EACC irrelevant. When the President gave State of the Nation address in Parliament and tabled list of alleged corrupt individuals, he cheekily pointed to the MPs that “If you think EACC is not working, si mnajua hiyo ni kazi yenu?” That statement literally sealed the fate of EACC, what transpired thereafter were just crumbling pieces.

Today as we speak, people are being left off the hook left-right and centre with no major culprits charged. But even those who have been charged, Kenyans are yet to be told how much such individual stole and if it has been recovered.

We have sadly become a nation where some notoriously accused people are generously rewarded by the electorate to mightier positions in the leadership matrix. We have governors, Senators and MPs whose names have been mentioned in series of scams but of coz the unison mantra is “Every person is innocent until proved guilty”.

Until a time when an administration comes into power that cannot be held hostage by the lords of impunity and valiant graft tentacles, Kenya will continue dabbling in corruption and the top leadership will continue doing what they do best ; LIP SERVICE.

How I like my other fellow Kenyans hope that we will someday get an administration that will put its mouth where its words lie. Till then, I am sorry to say that in as much many people in Kenya are being fooled sometimes that corruption is being tackled, happiness resonates from my face that not all the people are fooled all the time that corruption is going away especially from the ruling class. They have been compromised and will never stand out in this fight.

I am a pessimist that hardly any major efforts are being put to tackle the vice, an optimist that someone will stand out someday to tackle this head-on but also a realist that the forces of impunity and underhand dealings will always come to the fore to hold even a well-meaning administration at ransom once it intends to seal the graft taps.

Yet we MUST be vigilant to keep watch, lest our country goes to plunder.

The writer is the Chairman of Kenya National Debate Council, a partner at Savvypol Consulting Group and a freelance Journalist.