Lack of national values is killing us

Members of the public from Ngong road walk to Nairobi CBD on April 27, 2021 morning. (Denish Ochieng, Standard)

Last week, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations cautioned young ladies against ‘fraudsters who prey on them with promises of a good life abroad but end up being swindled out of their hard-earned money.

Such advice must have been informed by compelling evidence.

Lately, individuals have been falling victim to what appears as vengeance following either a deal gone sour or extortionist schemes. Sadly, we only talk about it after lives have been lost or people have been conned. In one such incident, some people turned up for non-existent jobs at some hospitality establishment.

Such incidents make us question whether we hold any values as a nation.

I believe that these national values cannot be attained if the family unit is broken. The family is the basic unit of society. When the former is devoid of values, the nation suffers.

Most of our values were instilled in us through some sort of family. Caring parents and guardians would impress upon children on the need for values such as integrity and hard work. 

Even if times are hard, we don’t have to engage in dubious means to earn a living. The youth are the most affected. You will find them on social media hunting for funders to their outlandish lifestyles.

We must step up to the plate and spell a few life lessons for our children. Parents are obligated to find out what their children do for a living – and teach them to earn an honest living. At the end of the day, these spurious family values play out at the national league, portraying the country as a den of immorality.

Openly, we shout that Kenyans are hardworking. But undercover, people will quip that no one succeeds through honest means. 

Wycliffe Osabwa, Lecturer, Alupe University College