To fix Kenya, first restore trust in institutions that manage our affairs

This country is broken in so many places and in a terrible way that some Kenyans have accepted its broken status as normal. But no matter how broken it is, it can and must be mended because it’s the only country we have.

To mend it, a good place to start is to restore trust in the institutions that manage our affairs. This is because many Kenyans view government institutions as exploitive, unreasonable, uncaring, and created to oppress, among other negative opinions. This is why any new programme that the government introduces is met with suspicion. An example is the just-rolled-out Social Health Authority.

The kind of trust we need is at work when boarding a matatu. We do not ask the driver to show his/her licence nor do we go around it, checking whether it’s insured and roadworthy. Instead, take our seats, and trust that the police can’t allow a defective vehicle on the road. We also trust that anyone who breaks this trust and risks the life of Kenyans will be arrested, prosecuted, and punished.

The trouble is that there has been a sharp decline in trust in the institutions mandated to safeguard our fidelity. We therefore do not trust that the police will arrest the person suspected of stealing your chicken. If the person is prosecuted, we fear that the judge s/he might appear before takes bribes, and the accused will be released on bond and after a thousand adjournments, set free for lack of evidence. To avoid this circus, the citizens have become the police, the prosecutor, and the judge. But because they do not have the keys to the jailhouse, they stone and then lynch the suspect. This kind of justice system belongs to the jungle and a broken-down country.

In the Adani Group deal, there might be nothing criminal in it, but many Kenyans do not trust that the Kenya Airports Authority can sign an agreement that takes care of our interests. Instead, they suspect the deal is a scheme to raid our empty coffers. From past experiences, they have every reason to be suspicious, especially after witnessing the embarrassing leaking roofs at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and recently, the potholes on the just-constructed Kakamega airstrip.

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It’s the same in the energy sector where Adani is building a power transmission line. The project might even be of benefit to the country but our experience with Independent Power Producers makes it stink. They pollute our environment by producing electricity using diesel engines while cheap green energy is going to waste, and no one can stop them; they have a contract that is very expensive to break. Worse still, they sell it to Kenya Power at an exorbitant price, making electricity in Kenya among the most expensive in Africa.

Likewise, many Kenyans no longer trust that parliamentarians can independently legislate because of rumours that they receive bribes to vote in a certain way. This erosion of trust led to the deadly storming of Parliament by Gen Z in June. Currently, the same distrust is pushing the country to the edge over the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Some religious organisations, political parties, trade unions, professional organisations, non-governmental bodies, and others do no better. They have bruised, cheated, and stolen too many times to be trusted.

To rebuild trust in our institutions, leaders from the President to the cattle dip chairman in the village, must listen and genuinely respond to people's concerns. There should also be openness in any business conducted on behalf of Kenyans.

Mr Maina is the founder of Kendeka Prize for African Literature. [email protected]