This war on corruption stands to benefit all of us

I never thought that I would be saying this but something beautiful is happening in our country. Of course, Kenya is known around the world for the beauty of our flora and fauna.  But our politics?

Our political arena has rightly been viewed traditionally as an ugly place. Tribalism and backroom deals combined with an old boys clubs feeling, as well as lots and lots of dodgy agreements.

DPP Noordin Haji. [Photo, Standard]

This is what Kenyan politics projects to the world. We are traditionally divided, forever at each other’s throats. And perhaps one word stands above them all when analysing Kenyan politics, Kenyan politicians, and the Kenyan political system: Corruption.

What it means

Well, as I sat with a colleague of mine who voted for NASA (I am a Jubilee supporter), I was shocked to see that suddenly we were speaking the same language. We had a common enemy. Indeed, I am reminded of the other NASA (the American Space Agency), and their immortal motto; “For the Benefit of All.”

While there is an argument against spending billions of dollars to put a man on the moon; fighting corruption truly is for the benefit of all. It can put billions of shillings back in our pockets.

It can stop the theft and looting of our economy, of our hard-earned tax money. It can revamp the nation, clean up our society and significantly improve the standard of living.

The current state of Kenyan corruption is beyond bad. In 2017, our nation was ranked well towards the bottom of all international indexes. Perhaps the most well-known index had us in 143rd place. This index, the Transparency International’s corruption index, only has 180 countries.

So the newfound unity found between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, Jubilee and Nasa and beyond should embolden us to fight graft lest it eats us all up. Already, we are seeing improvements.

We have all been frustrated for years by the graft in the public sector and parastatals. But now, the fist of the law is punching hard. Numerous senior officials of parastatals including Kenya Power and the NYS have been arrested, charged and many more are being brought to court.

Take the case of Kenya Power, it is alleged that millions were spent on electrical transformers that simply didn’t work. Was it a fake deal? Were they ever supposed to work?  The DPP and supporting agencies intend to get to the bottom of it.

Then there is the infamous NYS. Nearly 50 suspects have already been charged. The scandals here are worryingly large and big money was involved. Thankfully the crackdown has not been limited to small fish. In the past, politicians have been willing to take small victories in order for the PR show. How times change. I am certain that the ball game is different now.

Not a lone war

And the Executive is not alone.

The Judiciary, a completely separate arm, independent, yet super powerful (let’s not forget that historic decision to annul a presidential election this time last year), has also begun to play an increasingly important role. Last month, the Chief Justice David Maraga declared that a special purpose court, independent and focused would be set up to handle all corruption cases. It will rid us of the dangerous claims of lack of capacity. It will hopefully allow for swift and rigid justice.

Then there is the example of our leaders. While they are still in their early stages, the call for personal lifestyle audits is an initiative which should be warmly welcomed.

Our leaders are coming together. The well-publicised Building Bridges Initiative team (a result of the President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga handshake is gathering steam. In fact, they have a conference this month that will be attended by members of the public and private sectors.  All 47 counties will be represented.

The Building Bridges Comittee will provide a platform from which the voice of every Kenyan on corruption is heard without interpretation and thereby galvanise the support of the citizens to the ongoing war against corruption.

Separately, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is taking its battle around the country. Commissioner Rose Mghoi, recently implored on Kenyans to recalibrate their moral compass and take personal responsibility and put the country first.

The EACC has been launching corruption risk systems, most recently at Narok County. She is urging transparency and accountability above all. These reviews are intense audits. Narok is  the 23rd county to undergo such an audit.  The battle is now in full swing and there will be no turning back.

Ms Munuhe is a student of International Diplomacy at the University of Nairobi.