Why free education would disrupt political economy of corruption in Kenya

Chief Justice Martha Koome. [File, Standard]

Chief Justice Martha Koome has revealed that she does not watch the news any more because she can’t stand the heartbreak of hearing sob stories from students who excelled in their exams, but cannot make their way to college.

Reason? Through acts of omission or commission, poor students are wrongly categorised by the Higher Education Loans Board as affluent, and so are required to pay steep college fees. Rich kids, on the other hand, are categorised as poor and so are attending college for a song.

I don’t know which element of this saga broke Koome’s heart—the rich avoiding to pay their fair share, or the poor being denied their only avenue for social upliftment.

Justice Koome thinks it’s a great travesty that young people who have done their bit by excelling in their studies have been left holding the short end of the stick.

She wondered why a raft of bursaries are disbursed through politicians instead of being channelled directly to schools and offer free education for all Kenyans.

I think the Chief Justice did not read a particular book about the political economy of corruption in Kenya.

If the bursaries are disbursed through Members of County Assemblies, Members of Parliament, Women Reps and Governors are retained by the government and free education extended to all, that creates efficiency and eliminates bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy is self-serving and self-reproducing, so the moment you create efficiency, you have new problems. First off, bursaries are very effective tools for political mobilisation.

Bursaries are dangled where political cooperation is not guaranteed. And they can be withdrawn from those seen as non-cooperative.

Thirdly, bursaries come in handy in Parliament or county assemblies. Since they are slush funds for politicians to use as they deem fit, those playing hardball during crucial votes are threatened with exposure, which easily secures their acquiescence.

Finally, many political jobs would be on the line if bursaries were consolidated and offered as part of government’s annual budget.

That’s something politicians would be very unhappy about since their election into office often means a gravy train for an assortment of relatives, concubines and business associates.