Graft, political shenanigans will be the end of us

Nyeri residents raise their concerns during a public participation forum on planned impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on October 4, 2024. [Kibati Kihu, Standard]

I recently had an interesting conversation with a businessman from Rwanda who has operations across Africa.

His business model seems to have worked and has opened several offices on the continent.

What about setting up in Kenya, I asked. Not this time, he said. The political instability is not conducive to doing business in Kenya, he told me. I was rather taken aback.

I thought to myself: that is a bit rich coming from a person who comes from a country that has had more than its fair share of political instability, a country many Kenyans consider one of their poorer neighbours. But in hindsight, I thought perhaps he has a point.

As much as Kenya is said to be ahead of the pack in terms of doing business, we are not what was referred to “an island of peace”, nor can we say we are anywhere near a stable economy. Yes, we have well-trained personnel, fairly good infrastructure, and are highly networked in terms of internet connectivity.

But then our politics and ingrained corruption have ruined the good thing we thought we had. Our headlines tell it all.

There’s not been a single day in the last few months, nay, years when we seem to have had a good story to tell. It’s been all doom and gloom.

If it’s not the impeachment of the Deputy President, it is the disposal of public assets at throw-away prices; the cloudy matter of the Social Health Insurance Fund that will cost Sh104 billion; the Finance Bill that almost brought the country to a standstill; mega scandals on procurement for government projects ad nauseum.

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Yet, somehow, we still have a country. I am not sure whether it is a measure of our resilience or that we have this bottomless pot of money that never goes dry. I will put my money on the former for now.

Were we to fix these issues, Kenya’s growth trajectory would be nothing short of miraculous. When former President Uhuru Kenyatta said we lose Sh2 billion daily to corruption, initially I thought that couldn’t be possible.

A quick calculation showed in a year, corruption costs us upwards of Sh730 billion. Can you imagine what this amount can do? How many schools we can build? How many health facilities? How many mega dams?

Heck, we might even place the money in a fund that would ensure all children get free education up to the tertiary level. And remember this amount is just for one year!

I have always asked myself: how much is enough for one person and their families? Don’t these people sometimes look at the loot they have accumulated and say, this is now enough to sustain my family for generations and I can now stop stealing?

I get hope in humanity when I look at the likes of Warren Buffet, called the Sage of Omaha because of the amount of money he has made investing in companies.

Buffet is worth about US$140 billion, an amount that seems to grow by the day. But he has decided to give almost all his wealth to charity, except a few million dollars in endowment for his children. He drives the same old car and lives in the house he started off his career in.

Bill Gates, a much-demonised man, has also dedicated his life to philanthropy.

Whether it’s funding healthcare or agriculture in poor countries, he has decided to use his wealth to make a lasting impact.

But look at our leaders, particularly from Africa. Their poverty mentality leads them to stash away billions in real estate in Dubai, cash and chalets in Switzerland and mansions in the grape-growing areas south of France.

President Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville is said to have upwards of 24 high-end properties in Paris. For what? Can’t you just do good and leave the world in a better place?

The writer is a communications consultant and journalist