Now is not the time to lose faith in graft war

There is an Italian proverb, quoted by French philosopher Voltaire, “Perfect is the enemy of the good.”

The saying simply means that it is impossible to achieve perfection, and if you wait to be perfect before you do anything, nothing will ever get done.

I was reminded of this saying when I read the criticisms of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s war on corruption.

Of course, in a perfect world, a leader will be able to click his or her fingers and rid us of all and every element of corruption at all levels in all fields of governance and the civil service. However, we live in an imperfect world where things don’t work like that.

What we do have is an excellent policy that is already nurturing some very impressive results.

Nevertheless, when we grade the war on corruption in our minds we should be thinking about where we started, the endemic corruption across the nation where anyone with access to power and money would act with immunity and impunity, knowing that they would almost certainly get away with their graft and corruption.

The fact that almost every Kenyan has dealt with corrupt officials and been subjected to graft has ensured that expectation levels have gone through the roof.

However, these expectation levels are not just unrealistic and unfair, they can actually cause immense damage to the cause itself.

 The rules

Recently, an officer at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) admitted that a restive public, always baying for blood of the suspects, is in a way a contributing factor “to hurried cases” that have ended up being dismissed by the courts.

In other words, the system will work if it is given time and we abide by the rules without rush or shortcuts.

In April, Uhuru delivered his State of the Nation address in Parliament and spoke about the war on corruption as he has previously, but this time he needed to add a note of caution for those who believed in a world where anyone suspected of corruption would be automatically and quickly convicted.

“I must however caution that the pursuit of the corrupt will be undertaken strictly within the law — and not through vigilante justice and pitchfork protest.

Though Media narratives rally our resolve as they should, our actions will not be based on condemnation before one has been heard,” Mr Kenyatta said.

And added: “The cornerstone of our democracy is the rule of law, and the principle of due process is a critical anchor.”

We know that while it might not be fast enough for some, the system is working.

So far, widening the net laid by Uhuru and DPP Noordin Haji has netted some high-profile fish, with the likes of governors Moses Lenolkulaal (Samburu), Okoth Obado (Migori) currently facing graft charges, making a total of seven current and former governors under investigation or prosecution.

Several others are being currently investigated.

Eradicate it

Uhuru saw that even within the system, there were problems, especially at the Judicial level where complaints against three judges disclosed incompetence, bias, impropriety and professional misconduct, caused the president to remove them.

In addition, 30 Chief Executive Officers of State Corporations are under active investigation or prosecution for various corruption related offences, and the Government has recovered assets worth Sh2.5 billion returned by graft and corruption investigations and is currently pursuing property estimated to be worth Sh7.5 billion.

Eight Cabinet Secretaries and eight Principal Secretaries have stepped aside to pave way for investigations and prosecution, a concept previously unknown in public sector management.

These are just some of the recent highlights in the war on corruption, obviously there is so much more.

Corruption has not stopped, and because it has become sadly embroiled in the fabric of life in Kenya, it might take a generation to largely, but never totally, eradicate it.

No society in the history of mankind has ever been corruption-free.

Unfortunately, it is a failing of human fallibility that some people will take advantage of power and dip their fingers in places that they are not meant to be.

Those who demand perfection in Kenya will never be satisfied with the good. Many will highlight every single case where corruption still exists. Like crime and poverty, it can never be brought down to zero, or even close.

We must not listen to those who tell us the glass is half empty, because it is not, it is filling up day by day. We must not lose faith in this enormous task because it is only just beginning.

 

Ms Chege is Woman Representative for Muranga County